The Dublin bus driver accused of dangerous driving causing the deaths of five people was due to be off on the day of the accident but agreed to come in on overtime.
51-year-old Kenneth Henvey from Palmerstown in Dublin has pleaded not guilty to the charge of dangerous driving causing the deaths at Wellington Quay in the city centre on 21 February 2004.
Mr Henvey's statements to gardaí were today read to the jury.
In the first statement taken on the evening of the accident, he told gardaí he had agreed to come in on overtime and offered to drive the 25A bus to Lucan.
He was just beginning work and about to take the bus to Lucan when the accident happened.
Mr Henvey, a father of three, also told gardaí he and his wife were paying for a holiday for one of his daughters and that was why he had agreed to do the overtime.
He said he had not taken any medication on the day of the accident except a tablet for his ulcer. He said he had not drunk alcohol since December because he was trying to save money to go to Holland.
The court also heard evidence from the first gardaí on the scene after the accident.
Sergeant Brendan Flanagan from Pearse St Garda Station described seeing people lying injured under the bus.
He said he noticed Mr Henvey sitting in the driver's seat holding on to the steering wheel tightly with both hands.
Sergeant Flanagan said he was looking straight ahead with a blank expression on his face.
Mr Henvey had to be coaxed off the bus by gardaí and was described as being 'stiff with shock'.
Eyewitness evidence
Earlier, the court heard that Kenneth Henvey began sobbing and repeated 'this cannot be happening' after the accident.
Eyewitness Oliver Galvin told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court he was waiting for a bus at Wellington Quay when he heard screams.
He then saw an out of service double decker bus on the path.
He said he saw the driver frantically turning his steering wheel to the right as fast as he could but the bus kept moving.
When it stopped he ran to the front and asked the driver to move the bus as a woman was under his front wheel.
But Mr Galvin said the driver said he could not move the bus as there were more bodies at the side. Mr Galvin said the driver seemed very distressed.
He said the driver got on his radio and asked his controller to send someone down as there were bodies everywhere.
He then put his head in his hands and put his head on the steering wheel and started sobbing.
Mr Galvin said the driver kept repeating: 'This cannot be happening.'
He said the bus came to a stop very suddenly as if the driver had jammed on the brakes.
