Title: Questions Arise Over Mental Health Care Decisions Following Bus Driver’s Tragic Death
In a recent development, the state coroner in Queensland has raised questions about the mental health care decisions leading up to the tragic death of a young bus driver. The incident, which occurred seven years ago, took place when a mentally ill patient, who had been deemed as low risk, attacked and killed the bus driver.
Manmeet Sharma, a 29-year-old bus driver from India, had only been working for the Brisbane city council for a few months when he met his untimely demise. The assailant, Anthony O’Donohue, threw a molotov cocktail at Sharma, causing severe burns to 84% of his body, ultimately leading to his death.
The state coroner, Terry Ryan, revealed that the decision to discharge O’Donohue from mental health services was not satisfactory. Ryan acknowledged that alternate decisions regarding O’Donohue’s treatment might have prevented Sharma’s tragic death. However, he also added that it would not have been possible to predict O’Donohue’s propensity to commit such a heinous act.
Despite being categorized as low risk by the mental health system, O’Donohue displayed clear signs of being unwell, with an obsession for seeking revenge against perceived persecutors. It was found that he held persistent delusions, along with suicidal and homicidal ideation.
Throughout the course of O’Donohue’s treatment, his care was gradually downgraded until he was ultimately discharged in August 2016. Even after discharge, O’Donohue attempted to reconnect with mental health services, signaling a need for ongoing care. Unfortunately, the care team responsible for him did not properly engage with his GP due to privacy concerns.
Ryan emphasized that risk assessments were hindered by a lack of record sharing between mental health institutions and a failure to acknowledge O’Donohue’s history of violence.
Following the incident, O’Donohue was charged with murder and multiple counts of attempted murder and arson. However, he was deemed unfit to stand trial, resulting in a 10-year forensic order for mandatory mental health treatment.
Friends, family, and representatives of the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union expressed their frustration and dissatisfaction with the coroner’s findings. They firmly believed that the systematic errors leading to Sharma’s death warranted accountability.
The coroner, however, made no additional recommendations for bus driver safety. He pointed to the Brisbane city council’s measures to enhance security for drivers, including the installation of security screens, increased security personnel, and improved exits.
While the findings of the inquest offered some closure, there is a lingering disappointment among union members regarding the slow implementation of safety measures, such as full screens on buses. They argued that the half-barriers installed on more than 1,000 buses restricted drivers’ ability to escape potential attacks.
The coroner’s findings come in the wake of a record-breaking number of assaults on bus drivers, with 725 incidents reported by September this year alone.
Looking ahead, the Palaszczuk government has demonstrated its commitment to mental health system reform through recent state budget allocations.
As the Moorooka stop, where Sharma tragically lost his life, becomes a shrine, union members and the Indian community plan to gather there on Saturday to remember his untimely passing.
In conclusion, the state coroner’s investigation into the mental health care decisions leading to Manmeet Sharma’s death has raised important questions and exposed systematic flaws. While the findings offer some insight, there remains a need for further improvements in bus driver safety and mental health care to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
