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Michelle Bruton says her daughter Hannah Francis always had a kind word to say.
The mother of an 11-year-old boy who died after a bus accident on Mount Ruapehu says she was never able to say goodbye to her daughter with a hug.
The investigation into the death of Hannah Teresa Francis before Coroner Brigitte Windley in Auckland ended on Thursday.
Hannah died after a Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) bus capsized on Mount Ruapehu on July 28, 2018.
The Mitsubishi Fuso bus, carrying 31 passengers, passed at the nine-kilometer mark on Ōhakune Mountain Rd, which travels 17 km up Mount Ruapehu to Tūroa.
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The investigation heard from multiple witnesses and experts, including Hannah’s father, Matthew Francis, who was on the bus with her when it crashed.
The driver, who has name suppression, police and mechanical experts took the stand during the 10 days of investigation.
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Hannah Francis, 11, died after a bus accident on Mount Ruapehu in July 2018.
On Thursday afternoon, Hannah’s mother, Michelle Bruton, said the family’s life changed the moment they learned that Hannah had died.
To say that she and other family members, including Matthew, stepmother Christina Francis and stepfather Shane Bruton, were heartbroken “was an understatement,” she said.
They had been searching for answers since the West Auckland girl’s death and were devastated when no one was charged in connection with the accident.
She said everyone pushed for a public investigation to find out how the accident happened.
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Hannah Francis pictured with her dad Matthew Francis, her stepmother Christina Francis, and her stepbrothers Joshua and Caleb Dukeson.
The public deserves to be informed about the incident and what will be done to prevent it from happening again, he said.
Bruton said Hannah was a beautiful girl.
She was daring and smart, loved by many and always had a kind word to say.
Hannah was a beloved daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and friend.
He had a lot ahead of him, but the actions of others stole it from him, Bruton said.
“So many people have suffered from his death.”
Bruton said he couldn’t even give his “bright and beautiful” girl a goodbye hug, a right that was denied him.
Matthew Francis thanked Coroner Windley and the attorneys for what they had done for his family.
He said it had been a “long, bumpy ride” that no one would want to go through, but he was confident they would take responsibility for Hannah.
Coroner Windley said Hannah’s family had made her proud of the way they participated in the process.
Nothing would bring his daughter back, but he was optimistic that they would find ways to prevent other families from being in the same situation they had been in.
The judge reserved his decision.
