Man dies after being struck by Transperth bus near Perth Arena
A man has been fatally struck by a bus outside a bustling sport arena in Perth, leaving a community in shock and sparking renewed calls for better pedestrian safety.
The 45-year-old man died after being hit by a Perth Transit Authority bus as he was crossing Wellington St near the intersection with Milligan St - directly outside Perth Arena - just after 6.15pm on Friday.
WA Police said the man was hit by a Transperth bus that had been turning right from Milligan St into Wellington St.
The man was treated by paramedics but could not be saved and died at the scene.
Inspector Vic Hussey told 9News it was a confronting scene.
'So a pedestrian has crossed the road and regrettably, he's come into contact with a Transperth bus that was travelling through this intersection,' Inspector Hussey said.
'It's a very, very sad scene here at the moment.'
The 37-year-old male bus driver was physically unharmed but reportedly shaken.
Witnesses said he appeared distressed and unable to speak in the immediate aftermath of the collision, while others nearby were seen crying on the street.
'I hear the bus driver is OK, but I'm sure that's going to play on their psyche for a long, long time,' one person told 9News.
The crash occurred as hundreds of people were arriving at the arena to watch a Super Netball clash between the West Coast Fever and Adelaide Thunderbirds, and as city workers were leaving their offices for the day.
The busy intersection was closed while emergency crews attended the scene and Major Crash officers began their investigation.
Residents have since raised concerns about pedestrian safety at the intersection.
'It's not nice, especially when it's so close to home, and when it's something that could have been avoided,' one resident said.
'I raised this with the police about two months ago because I almost got killed.'
WA Police confirmed the driver is assisting with the investigation and are appealing to the public for information.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam or CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Man, 71, charged with assaulting 14yo girl on cruise ship off Queensland
A 71-year-old man has been charged after he allegedly assaulted a teenage girl onboard a cruise ship off the coast of Queensland. Police allege the man - who was not known to the 14-year-old - approached the girl near a lift shortly before 11pm on Thursday and grabbed her. The teenager alerted nearby staff, who quickly intervened. The girl was not physically harmed. Detectives from the Gateway Child Protection and Investigation Unit arrested the man at the Port of Brisbane on Saturday morning, following the alleged incident late Thursday night. The man has been charged with deprivation of liberty and two counts of common assault. Police have objected to the man's bail and he is expected to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Baby-faced teen accused of catfishing underage boys
A former school support worker allegedly told an 11-year-old boy he wanted to 'see u take shorts off' while impersonating a teenage girl on social media, court documents allege. Police allege Thomas Gottaas, 19, created multiple fake personas to catfish underage boys and paid some to film themselves in 'extremely graphic' sexual poses or acts. Mr Gottaas was arrested in January and charged with offences including possessing and producing child abuse material, and participating as a client in an act of child prostitution. He has not entered any pleas to the charges. Court documents released after Mr Gottaas was granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court reveal what police allege were the methods of 'manipulation' he used to engage the boys throughout 2024. 'The first method involved the accused paying a child victim to send him sexually explicit material or allow him to record the child performing live solo sexually explicit acts,' the documents allege. 'The second method involved 'catfishing' by using a fake social media profile to contact a victim and pretend to be a young female, after which the accused used the fake profile to extort the victim and pressure them to send him sexually explicit material of themselves or allow the accused to record them perfoming live solo sexual acts.' Police allege the then-18-year-old used Wizz – an encrypted app for young people – setting his age to 16 and began 'numerous' chats with the words 'want to make $$$'. If the person responded positively, court documents allege, Mr Gottaas would propose moving the conversation to Snapchat or another encrypted app. Other times he would allegedly text teenage boys, saying he 'was told to message this number' before claiming it was on behalf of a girl. 'Some chick is saying she has stuff of you,' he allegedly told one boy. The documents also allege he instructed a boy, 15, in September 2024 to 'send two vids for $20'. 'Wat type,' the boy asked. 'Ass,' Mr Gottaas allegedly said. After a debate over the amount of money offered, Mr Gottaas allegedly said: 'I've sent u a fair bit in total tho … I've sent u $170 in total'. In November 2024, court documents allege, he screen recorded a chat with an 11-year-old boy in which he passed on messages like 'I wanna see u take shorts off to show undies'. 'I'd just do it get it over and done with … So she pisses off,' he allegedly wrote, referencing a female persona he had created. Other alleged messages, sent to a 16-year-old boy, were too graphic to report and involved Mr Gottaas allegedly instructing the boy to perform acts with a sex toy on live video. Mr Gottaas, who lived in Picton, was employed as a temporary support worker at a Sydney public school at the time of his arrest. Police have identified four alleged victims, but had been unable to determine the identity of four others allegedly depicted in images on Mr Gottaas' phone, the court heard last Thursday. It is not suggested any of the alleged victims attended the school at which the accused worked. The Crown opposed Mr Gottaas' bail application last week, saying the case against him was 'overwhelming' due to the data found on his phone and electronic devices. Prosecution documents state the allegations from 2024 displayed 'a significant degree of planning, organisation, sophistication and deception'. 'He used two different phone numbers and created false online profile in the names of teenage girls, then sent messages essentially blackmailing the young boys to get them to send him intimate images or agree to him recording them,' the court documents allege. It was also alleged that upon his arrest, police noticed Mr Gottaas was logged into a female Snapchat account on his laptop and had multiple Google accounts in female names on his phone. Justice Ian Harrison granted Mr Gottaas bail after hearing he would live under strict supervision from his mother and grandfather, who also offered a $900,000 surety. 'There is nothing in his history to suggest he will not comply with the bail conditions especially as he has had his first taste of custody for the last five months,' the judge said. 'That has, according to his mother, been a singularly unpleasant experience for him as can be imagined.' The court heard Mr Gottaas' family was concerned he might have a mental health condition, and they were seeking specialist treatment. Mr Gottaas is yet to enter a plea to the charges and will next face court in July.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Fan cops 30-month ban after abusing referee, players at NRL NT game
An A-grade rugby league clash in Darwin has been marred by a spectator hurling abuse at the referee and opposition players, earning them a years-long ban from the sport. The Darwin Brothers supporter received a 30-month ban following the incident during the second half of a top-of-the-table match between the Litchfield Bears and Brothers at TRL Stadium on July 13. The outburst came moments after the Brothers had brought the score to 20-18, with abusive comments of a personal nature directed at the referee visiting from Queensland, The NT News reports. The comments were reportedly shouted from the hill behind the goalposts. The referee called time off at 61:39 on the clock, informing both captains of the abuse. Security and match officials worked to calm the crowd before the game resumed several minutes later, with the Bears eventually edging out a 28-26 victory. Darwin Brothers president John Adams told NT News his club did not condone such behaviour. 'Our club doesn't condone any sort of abuse, verbal or otherwise, towards the officials,' Mr Adams said. NRL NT general manager Tony Crowe also backed the referee's decision to halt play. 'It was a close game between the top of the table sides, but we 100 per cent support the referee's decision to pause the match,' Mr Crowe said. 'We've all come here to enjoy rugby league, not listen to some individual that thinks their opinion is above everyone else's, particularly when it's in a negative manner toward a match official. 'The NRL NT is currently working through the process, we've got a number of reports from the referee and ground managers and due process will follow.' The spectator was banned for 12 months for abusing the referee, 12 months for abusing opposition players, and an additional six months for bringing the game into disrepute. In a separate incident, a spectator in Katherine was banned for 12 months for using obscene or offensive language toward a junior referee and for conduct that discredits the game. NRL NT operations manager Sheron McDougall condemned the behaviour. 'It's a timely reminder to all clubs and participants that we need to be mindful this is a sport and we have a responsibility to abide by the code of conduct,' Mr McDougall said. 'We're drawing a line in the sand, it won't be tolerated, we hope these matters can be solved without a game being paused but the referee is well within their right to do so and we support that. 'This is happening across all sports and we have to be mindful, we do need these match officials to keep our game going.'
