On the night of 11 June 2023 a bus overturned at Greta in Australia's Hunter Valley region. The bus was transferring guests from a wedding at Lovedale to Singleton. Ten people were killed and another twenty-five were taken to hospital. The bus driver pleaded guilty to dangerous and negligent driving occasioning death, and was sentenced to 32 years in prison with a non-parole period of 24 years. It was the worst Australian road crash since 1994 when twelve people were killed when a bus overturned near Boondall, Queensland.[1][2]
| Hunter Valley bus crash | |
|---|---|
 Aftermath of the crash | |
| Details | |
| Date | 11 June 2023 11:30 p.m. |
| Location | Greta, New South Wales |
| Country | Australia |
| Operator | Linq Buslines |
| Service | Charter |
| Incident type | Rollover |
| Cause | High speed, driver culpability and medication impairment |
| Statistics | |
| Bus | Volvo B7R |
| Vehicles | 1 |
| Passengers | 35 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Deaths | 10 |
| Injured | 25 |
Crash
editAt 11:30 p.m. AEST on 11 June 2023, a 2009 Volvo B7R bus operated by Linq Buslines overturned while negotiating a grade separated roundabout at the M15 / Wine Country Drive interchange near Greta. The bus was taking guests from a wedding at a winery in Lovedale to a Singleton hotel.[3]
Ten passengers were killed and a further twenty-five were taken to a hospital. The injured were treated at John Hunter Hospital, Maitland Hospital and Calvary Mater in Newcastle, and one was airlifted to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.[4]
Legal proceedings
editThe 58-year-old bus driver, Brett Button, was arrested and taken to Cessnock police station. A mandatory drug test determined that he had taken 400 mg of tramadol during the previous 24 hours, enough to impair his driving ability.[5] On 12 June he was charged with ten counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of negligent driving occasioning death.[6] He was released on bail of $10,000.[7] In January 2024, Button was further charged with ten counts of manslaughter.[8]
On 8 May 2024, after the prosecution dropped the manslaughter charges, Button pleaded guilty to ten counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and other charges. He was remanded in custody for sentencing later in 2024. It was also presented in court that Button was addicted to painkillers, and these may have affected his driving performance on the day of the crash.[9]
On 11 September 2024, Button was sentenced to 32 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 24 years.[10]
Aftermath
editThe bride and groom were members of the Singleton Roosters Australian football club.[11] The groom was previously a member of Warrandyte Cricket Club, as were nine of the injured guests.[4]
On 16 June 2023, the NSW Office of Transport Safety Investigations announced an investigation into the crash.[12]
Other notable bus accidents in Australia
edit- Grafton bus crash – 20 October 1989 – 21 killed. A tourist coach and a truck collided head-on
- Kempsey bus crash – 22 December 1989 – 35 killed. Two fully-loaded buses collided head-on in the worst road crash in Australia.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ What we know about the fatal Hunter Valley wedding bus crash, ABC News, 12 June 2023
- ^ Wide Bay Tours Bus Crash, Monument Australia, 15 June 2023
- ^ "Ten killed, 21 injured after bus carrying wedding guests crashes in Australia". HeraldScotland. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Olivia Ireland, Georgina (2023-06-12). "Hunter Valley bus crash updates: Multiple people killed in wedding bus tragedy; driver arrested, expected to be charged". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Hunter Valley bus crash driver to come face to face with devastated loved ones of those killed". ABC News. 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ Gorrey, Olivia Ireland, Georgina Mitchell, Megan (2023-06-12). "Hunter Valley bus crash updates: Multiple people killed in wedding bus tragedy; driver charged". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Mitchell, Georgina; Ireland, Olivia (13 June 2023). "Hunter Valley bus crash updates: Driver Brett Button told passengers to 'fasten your seatbelts' moments before crash, court hears; NSW Police continue to identify victims". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Hunter Valley bus driver formally charged with 10 counts of manslaughter over wedding crash". ABC News. 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ Duffin, Perry (2024-05-08). "Hunter Valley bus driver addicted to drugs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ Duffin, Perry (2024-09-11). "'Extraordinary devastation': Hunter bus driver to spend decades in prison". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ Carey, Alexis (12 June 2023). "Bride and groom identified after Hunter Valley wedding bus crash left 10 dead, 25 hospitalised". news.com.au.
- ^ Place, Movement and (2023-06-16). "Rollover of coach 4666MO - Greta, NSW - 11 June 2023". www.otsi.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2023-06-23.