A Sydney bus driver will face charges over the tragic incident that cost one teenage boy his life in Southwest Sydney on Wednesday. 

The 14-year-old was struck just before 3pm at Macarthur Anglican School in Cobbitty and suffered critical injuries. He was treated by paramedics and then taken to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition, but sadly passed away later that afternoon. 

The 54-year-old bus driver was also taken to Liverpool Hospital for mandatory testing, and was subsequently arrested. She has since been charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, driving in a dangerous manner, and negligent driving occasioning death. 

Her licence was suspended and she was refused bail, spending the night in custody. She is set to appear at Liverpool Local Court.

The school’s principal, David Nockles, spoke this morning of the victim, describing how the teenager will be missed, and how he was “a much-loved student … an integral part of a school. He will be sorely missed by the students and staff.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy’s family … as they deal with unimaginable grief and heartache,” he went on. “At present, all that can be confirmed is that a public transport bus lost control as it moved away from the bus bays, mounting the kerb.”

“As a result of that accident, the student sustained injuries resulting in his death after his arrival at the hospital,” the principal’s statement continued, before informing students that counsellors and pastoral support would be available to them. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy’s family, including his brother in Year 11, as they deal with unimaginable grief and heartache.

“The school appreciates the tangible support for our school community as we work through this terrible shock and loss to the wider Macarthur family.”

Abeer Lee, a parent who was at the school at the time of the tragedy, opened up to reporters about what she’d witnessed. 

“There were helicopters, police, and ambulances. There were a lot of parents with kids, and no-one knew what was going on until about an hour later,” she said, adding that their community was “heartbroken” over the loss. “I can only imagine what the kids felt like witnessing the incident.”

Another woman, who’d come to pick up her son from the school, described what she saw upon arriving at the scene. “I was shocked, I saw him lying on the ground. Someone tried to do CPR. My heart is breaking to hear the bad news, we love school. Hopefully everyone will be okay after this difficult time.”

The Daily Telegraph has reported that the bus allegedly veered towards a tree before the 14-year-old was hit, and that teachers had to activate the bus’ emergency exits to remove the distraught students from the scene. 

While the school has stated that it will be offering no further comment on the devastating incident, local authorities are hard at work investigating the circumstances of the crash. 

Images: 7News