Hawaii: Woman killed and 10 injured after shuttle bus carrying cruise passengers crashes into Honolulu terminal

One woman died and 10 others were injured after a shuttle bus driver for the Carnival Miracle cruise accidentally crashed the vehicle into a concrete terminal. The driver hit the accelerator instead of the brakes, crashing his vehicle into the Honolulu cruise terminal in Hawaii on Friday morning (12 April).

A 68-year-old woman died of her injuries and ten Hawaii holidaymakers were injured including the 68-year-old woman’s husband who was injured but is expected to fully recover, according to Matt Lupoli, senior manager of Carnival Cruise Line. The shuttle bus slammed into the building after the driver was told by a bystander his vehicle was moving forward, The Mirror reports. 

The driver jumped back into the vehicle accidentally hitting the gas instead of the brakes. The bus slammed into two concrete barriers and eleven pedestrians, authorities said. 

The woman remains unidentified but it is known that she was travelling with her husband at the time as part of the Carnival Miracle cruise in Hawaii. Nine of the people hit by the vehicle were cruise ship passengers.

Four others, two men and two women, all over the age of 50, were seriously injured by the incident according to Hawaii News Now. Linda Reck, who was visiting from Florida, told NBC News: “It just kept going, and my daughter yells out 'There's nobody there driving the bus.' Then it hits the wall. I was...shook up, pretty shaken.”

The Carnival Miracle cruise had just kicked off its 15-day excursion, starting in Los Angeles, California. It had set off on 6 April and was scheduled to round off the excursion on 21 April, according to records on Cruise Mapper. 

A further five pedestrians were then taken from the Honolulu location to hospital for treatment following the crash. Another six pedestrians affected by the crash were offered treatment at the scene but reportedly refused any medical assistance, according to Honolulu police. It is not currently known why the incident took place or why the driver was not inside the vehicle at the time it started moving forward.