A teenage boy is in a critical condition at the Royal Hobart Hospital after the petrol-powered bicycle he was riding collided with a bus in New Norfolk on Monday afternoon.
Tasmania Police said emergency services were called to Derwent Terrace shortly after 4pm on 22 June. Police statements indicate the 17-year-old rider of the bike was turning right onto Derwent Terrace when the collision with the oncoming bus occurred.
In a media release, Tasmania Police stated that “it appears the bike may have travelled into the oncoming lane, into the path of the bus.” The rider sustained serious injuries and was treated at the scene before being transported to the hospital in a critical condition.
An 18-year-old who was a passenger on the motorised bike received non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
The bus driver, a man in his 50s, was not physically injured in the crash. Tasmania Police confirmed there were no passengers on the bus at the time of the incident. Reporting from other local media identified the vehicle as a Kinetic school bus that was returning to its depot.
Derwent Terrace was closed for several hours between 3rd and 4th Avenues while police conducted an examination of the scene. The road has since reopened.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the crash and have appealed for witnesses. They are asking anyone who has not yet spoken to police, or anyone with dashcam footage of either the bus or the petrol-powered bike prior to the incident, to contact them on 131 444, quoting ESCAD 306-22062026. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers.