The father of Hannah Teresa Francis, an 11-year-old girl who died in a bus crash on Mt Ruapehu in 2018, has described trying to save her life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after the crash.
One of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts' ageing buses. The fleet was retired following the crash. Photo: RNZ/ Nick Monro
The inquest into Hannah Francis' death, held before Coroner Brigitte Windley, began this morning in Auckland.
Hannah died on 28 July, 2018 after a shuttle bus operated by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts crashed into a bank and rolled on to its side during its descent from the Tūroa skifield.
Eighteen others were injured, three seriously. Hannah was the only fatality.
Her father, Matt Francis, was sitting next to her on the bus.
He told the inquest the descent took place about 2pm in the afternoon in fine conditions, with no ice, snow or other inclement weather.
Francis, an engineer with knowledge of heavy vehicles and their braking systems, said shortly after the trip began he realised the brakes were not working.
The driver, who cannot be named for legal reasons, could not get the bus into gear nor brake effectively, Francis said. Other passengers started to scream and panic, and Francis later learned a passenger opened the back door and jumped out.
"It became clear to me that within half a minute to a minute that we were going to crash, and the only question was how bad it was going to be," Francis said.
Matt Francis at the inquest. Photo: RNZ / Jordan Bond
Sitting in the back seat, he put his arms around Hannah, pulled her into his lap and bent over, bracing for impact. They both had their snow helmets on. Francis estimated they were travelling about 70km/h.
The bus first hit a metal side barrier, then bounced off to the other side of the road into a bank and onto its side, he said.
"Hannah had still been in my arms after the first impact, but she was ripped out of my arms at the second impact. I could not hold on to her."
They were thrown around and he hit the roof and became disoriented, he said.
Once the bus came to a stop Francis called out to Hannah, but did not receive a reply. He found her near the back of the bus, not visibly breathing and clearly badly injured.
"She was slightly underneath the back corner or the bus but she was not pinned by the bus... she was unconscious and her face was covered in blood. She did not appear to be breathing.
"I began mouth-to-mouth and after a couple of breaths she coughed up some blood, took a deep breath, and carried on breathing by herself."
Francis was badly injured himself, unable to stand up, and as paramedics arrived and provided care to Hannah he crawled to the side of the road and was taken care of.
He was told Hannah was critically injured. She was flown on the first helicopter out but died en route to hospital.
Flowers mark the spot where Hannah Francis laid after a Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bus crashed while descending the mountain. Photo: RNZ/ Nick Monro
Francis was critical of the driver's actions and inactions, whom he could see down the aisle of the bus.
"It appears to me that the driver did not understand the potential consequences of overusing his brakes early in the journey," Francis said.
The driver of the bus also gave evidence. He outlined his lengthy experience driving buses around New Zealand, including among mountainous terrain, and with the type of brakes this bus had - air over hydraulic.
"I pushed the foot brake to slow down and it went straight to the floor," the man said. "I tried to push it again slowly two or three times and each time there was no resistance and went straight to the floor."
He tried changing down gears but the bus was going too fast for the gear to engage.
He said he also tried to graze the bus against a side barrier to slow it down, and finally pulled the hand brake - all to no avail.
"The bus did not slow down. A female passenger near the front of the bus asked if something was wrong and I said the brakes weren't working. I then told her to move to the back of the bus because I thought this would be safer in a front-on crash.
The driver estimated the bus was going at least 60 or even 70km/h at impact.
No one was charged over Hannah's death. Matt Francis was critical of this; he said police did not present a convincing argument for not laying charges.
The driver today apologised to the family, and said he would do anything to change what happened that day, but believed he did everything he could in the circumstances.
"I can never express how sorry I am that this happened, and would do anything to change it. I am very sorry to the Francis family for their loss," the driver said.
The 24-year-old bus was later revealed to have failed its Certificate of Fitness nine times.
The fleet was subsequently retired by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts.
The inquest, under Coroner Brigitte Windley, continues tomorrow, and is set down for five days.
