A Brisbane bus driver convicted over the death of teenager Tia Cameron has appealed his conviction in the Brisbane District Court, asking the court to overturn the finding that he drove without due care and attention during the fatal crash.
Lindsay Francis Selby, 72, was found guilty in 2025 of driving without due care and attention causing death after a Brisbane City Council bus mounted a footpath in Brisbane's CBD on 8 March 2024, fatally striking 18-year-old Tia Cameron. The young woman suffered catastrophic injuries after becoming trapped between the bus and a building and later died at the scene.
Following his conviction, Selby received an eight-month wholly suspended prison sentence and was disqualified from driving for one year. He has now appealed that decision, with his legal team arguing that the conviction should be set aside.
During the appeal hearing, defence lawyers argued that Selby's actions occurred within a matter of seconds while attempting to avoid vehicles ahead of him. They submitted that his decision-making during those critical moments should not be regarded as criminally negligent.
The defence maintained that Selby believed he had applied the bus brakes while negotiating the turn into Edward Street but realised too late that the bus was not slowing as expected. According to his legal team, he then made a split-second decision to steer away from traffic, resulting in the bus mounting the kerb.
Prosecutors opposed the appeal, arguing that evidence presented during the original trial showed Selby failed to pay sufficient attention to surrounding traffic before entering the intersection. They also noted that mechanical examinations of the bus found no fault with the braking system, supporting the original finding that the collision resulted from driver error rather than vehicle failure.
District Court Judge Bernard Porter KC indicated he would independently review all evidence, including CCTV footage captured from inside and outside the bus. He described the appeal as effectively being "a true rehearing," noting that such cases are relatively uncommon.
Video shown during both the original trial and the appeal captured the bus travelling at approximately 15 km/h while turning left from Ann Street into Edward Street. The footage formed a significant part of the prosecution's case during the original proceedings.
Judge Porter acknowledged the tragic nature of the case and said he would carefully consider all submissions before delivering his decision. He reserved judgment, meaning the outcome of the appeal will be handed down at a later date.
The death of Tia Cameron shocked the Brisbane community and renewed discussions about pedestrian safety in the city's busy central business district. Following the incident, Brisbane City Council reviewed aspects of bus safety and traffic management around the intersection where the collision occurred.
Tia's family has continued to remember the teenager as a vibrant young woman whose life was cut tragically short. The appeal does not revisit the circumstances of her death but instead focuses on whether the original conviction should remain in place under Queensland law.
