A Garda public service vehicle inspector has told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court there were no faults or defects on the two buses involved in an accident three years ago in which five people were killed.
51-year-old Kenneth Henvey, a Dublin Bus driver from Palmerstown in the city has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of the five people on 21 February 2004.
At the trial, Garda Adrian Tucker, who is a public service inspector with mechanical and engineering qualifications, gave evidence of carrying out extensive tests on the two buses involved in the accident on Wellington Quay.
Garda Tucker said that from examining and testing both vehicles, he concluded they were well maintained and were in good road-worthy condition before the accident.
And he said there were no faults or defects on either bus that could have contributed to the likely cause of the collision.
Garda Tucker carried out another series of tests in December last year, using a bus similar to that driven by Mr Henvey.
He created a series of faults in the bus fuel management system and throttle systems and found that the engine always reverted to a failsafe mode which meant it either cut out or remained idle.
He told the court he was satisfied from these tests that the bus driven by Mr Henvey could not have experienced a power surge or other unintended acceleration as a result of an electronic or electrical component failure.
Earlier eyewitness Angela O'Farrell said she got the impression the number 66 bus to Maynooth was just pulling in at the bus stop on Wellington Quay when the bus driven by Mr Henvey was pulling out.
She said she saw Mr Henvey look over his right shoulder, check, then drive off slowly.
She said she got the impression Mr Henvey thought he was being let out by the driver of the 66.
Other witnesses have described the 66 bus as being pulled in at the stop letting passengers on when the accident happened.
