Hunter Valley wedding bus crash: what we know so far
New details have emerged of the Hunter Valley bus crash tragedy, in which 10 people were killed in the popular wine region of NSW as they returned from a wedding late on Sunday night.
Here’s what we know so far:
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The driver of the bus, Brett Button, 58, has been granted bail after a brief court appearance on Tuesday. He has been charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, and one further count of negligent driving in relation to all 10 deaths. Button left Cessnock police station on Tuesday afternoon.
Ten people died in the crash after the bus rolled on to its left side at a roundabout on Wine Country Drive near Greta at about 11.30pm on Sunday. Nine of those people died at the scene, while one died in hospital.
Police have alleged Button “entered that roundabout driving in a manner that was inconsistent with the conditions … The speed was too quick for him to negotiate that roundabout, causing the vehicle to fall on to its left side and cause those injuries.”
Some survivors gave evidence to the court of the driver’s alleged “prolonged” unsafe behaviour and his alleged call to “fasten your seatbelts” moments before he hit the bend and the bus tipped.
As of 7pm Tuesday, 13 passengers remained in hospital including one passenger in a critical but stable condition. Eight patients were in a stable condition at John Hunter hospital, two patients were in a stable condition at Maitland hospital, and two patients were in a stable condition at Royal Prince Alfred hospital in Sydney after having had surgeries. Another patient had been discharged from Calvary Mater Newcastle.
Police said injuries sustained by passengers who survived the crash ranged from lacerations to breaks and fractures, as well as “very serious injuries”.
Most of the local victims, as well as the bride and groom, come from the Hunter Valley town of Singleton. The newlyweds, Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell, who were not on the bus, were both keen footballers and belonged to the Singleton men’s and women’s teams. The mayor, Sue Moore, said seven of the deceased bus passengers were from the town.
There were tributes from family, friends and communities on Tuesday as victims of the crash started to be identified.
Among the victims was Rebecca Mullen, a junior doctor based at Calvary Mater hospital. The state health minister, Ryan Park, said it was a “really sad day for NSW Health that we have lost one of our team members”.
Drop-in clinics are available in Singleton on Tuesday to support the community, where disaster recovery officers and chaplains will be providing mental health support.
Alex Tigani, the deputy editor of the Hunter River Times, who was MC at the Hunter Valley wedding and was on the bus that crashed, issued a community alert on Tuesday warning people against donating to fake GoFundMe pages.
A crime scene investigation is under way at the site of the crash, while a mechanical investigation of the bus was being conducted on Tuesday by police.
NSW Ambulance commander Luke Wiseman recalled the difficult conditions faced by emergency services on the scene, who had to smash the front windscreen and use airbags to elevate the bus to free survivors. One of the first arriving on the scene was a young paramedic undergoing training.
Meanwhile, NSW seatbelt laws are now under scrutiny.