I was on the Bruce Highway bus when it crashed and killed three people. This is the only reason I’m still alive
An American tourist involved in the fatal bus crash on Bruce Highway opens up about the last-minute seat change that saved her life.
Three women were killed and dozens of people were injured when a Greyhound bus collided with a car towing a caravan in north Queensland on Sunday.
The three passengers on board who died were two German women aged between 20 and 30 and 56-year-old Emma ‘Alli’ Sailor from Townsville.
Teacher Piezy Marie said the bus arrived 90 minutes late at Airlie Beach for her journey to Cairns, where she wanted to catch a flight home to California.
Ms. Marie recounted on Facebook an encounter she didn’t understand: “When the driver checked my ticket, he looked at me and said, ‘I remember you.'”
She simply smiled and nodded, and the driver moved her from her assigned seat 1C – which was behind him – to seat 2A by the window in the second row across the aisle.
“The passengers sitting in my original seat were seriously injured and ultimately died,” Ms. Marie wrote.
She said she still can’t “process the fact that it could have been me (who died).”
American tourist Piezy Marie (pictured) has revealed the incredible last-minute seat switch on a bus that later crashed on a motorway, which almost certainly saved her life
Mrs Marie said the impact on the caravan ‘felt like a cannon shot’, with glass flying.
“I heard loud screams and cries from passengers. It felt like the bus was moving up and down in slow motion until it landed beyond the tracks,” she said.
Mrs Marie said that from now on she would always remember that a person’s life can end in a split second and that she had to ‘live every second without hesitation’.
“I’m not very religious, but I think the Lord above is taking good care of me so I can continue to teach my children and tell my stories,” she said.
“I feel protected, blessed and grateful to him and my ancestors.”
The bus reportedly veered into the other lane and collided with the caravan, which was being pulled by an elderly couple. They were unharmed.
“I later learned from police that the damaged trailer was the elderly couple’s home,” she said.
“I hope the people of Queensland will start a GoFundMe for this elderly couple.”
The American tourist thanked the emergency workers and locals who came to the aid of the 33 passengers on the bus.
“I will never forget the kindness of the people of Queensland,” she said. “I will share this story with my students in California.”
Three women were killed and dozens of people were injured when a Greyhound bus (pictured) collided with a car towing a caravan on the Bruce Highway in North Queensland on Sunday
In an encounter she didn’t understand, Ms. Marie (pictured) said: “When the driver checked my ticket, he looked at me and said, ‘I remember you,'” she wrote on Facebook
The son of a 56-year-old woman who died in a bus crash has spoken on behalf of the family and asked that his mother’s name be withheld.
“She was a beautiful woman in the church, she never hurt anyone,” he told Nine News Queensland. “She would give her shirt to anyone.”
The woman was traveling with her daughter and four grandchildren and was an hour away from home.
“We want the full investigation to be done. There is no point in blaming anyone. Let the police and the courts do their part,” the man said.