Vic: Crashed bus was fitted with seatbelts: Brumby

AAP General News (Australia)
04-17-2009
Vic: Crashed bus was fitted with seatbelts: Brumby

BALLARAT, VIC, Apr 17 AAP - A bus that crashed in southwest Victoria killing three
people, including a toddler, was fitted with seatbelts, Premier John Brumby says.

But the premier does not know whether those killed and injured in the Thursday night
accident, near Portland, where wearing them.

Mr Brumby said seatbelts were mandatory features in all new buses but it would be too
expensive to retrofit them in old ones.

A man, 20, a woman in her 20s and her two-year-old daughter, died when they were crushed
under the V/Line coach after it rolled on its side.

Another man with a fractured spine was airlifted to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne.

About eight other passengers were taken to Portland Hospital with minor injuries.

Transport safety authorities were investigating the cause of the bus crash and Public
Transport Minister Lynne Kosky was on site in Portland, he said.

"There's a significant loss of life and injury and obviously my thoughts go out to
the families concerned and also to those communities," Mr Brumby said.

He said that these sorts of tragedies have big impacts on local communities and country towns.

"I don't want to preempt the outcomes, the bus concerned did have seatbelts fitted,"

Mr Brumby said.

"I understand that all of the new buses that are purchased by V/Line do have seatbelts
fitted but we need to wait and see what the investigation shows and we'll have a good
look at all of the results of that investigation."

AAP cmb/jxt/goc/

KEYWORD: TOLL VIC BRUMBY

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