Australia- Bus carrying wedding guests in Australian wine region rolls over, killing 10 and injuring 25, 12 June '23, *Bus driver arrested*

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  • #21
Aerial view of bus crash

6c8870a3f14bf496fa401825acf61e4c


www.skynews.com.au

Reports wedding guests recall bus driver's final words before deadly crash

The driver behind the wheel of a packed bus with wedding guests allegedly boasted about the speed he was doing before it crashed and flipped in the Hunter Valley.
www.skynews.com.au www.skynews.com.au
 
  • #22
  • #23
  • #24
  • #25
SophieRose said:
I noticed several of the victims were from the area. Was the couple that got married from that area? I thought at first it it might be a destination wedding. I feel sorry for the couple as well. Anniversaries will always be bittersweet, if not sad.
Click to expand...

The bride, groom, and many of the guests are from the town of Singleton (pop 25,000 people).
Members of the town's much-loved football team were at the wedding.
The townsfolk are described as country people, and close knit.

www.smh.com.au

‘The whole town could go into mourning’: Singleton devastated by bus tragedy

Singleton resident Bernadette Bailey says the town is in shock since news filtered through that the bride and groom, and their guests, were residents, and the Aussie rules team was also involved.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au
 
  • #26
  • #27
SophieRose said:
I noticed several of the victims were from the area. Was the couple that got married from that area? I thought at first it it might be a destination wedding. I feel sorry for the couple as well. Anniversaries will always be bittersweet, if not sad.
Click to expand...
The couple were originally from Warrandyte Victoria and moved to Singleton a few years back.

www.dailymail.co.uk

How nine wedding guests injured in crash are linked to each other

Warrandyte Cricket Club president Royce Jaksic said all of their players who attended the ceremony are now accounted for.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 
  • #28
SophieRose said:
I noticed several of the victims were from the area. Was the couple that got married from that area? I thought at first it it might be a destination wedding. I feel sorry for the couple as well. Anniversaries will always be bittersweet, if not sad.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't have surprised me if it had been; one of my oldest friends got married over a decade ago (didn't last, but oh well) and she had her wedding and reception at Blue Tongue Brewery even though she'd never lived in Newcastle or the Hunter Valley. She'd lived in Sydney since before she was a teenager; still does. It's somewhere a lot of people come to get married, especially from Sydney, because it is aggressively marketed as a destination wedding location. But from what I've seen in the articles, this couple lived locally, though some guests came from further away or out-of-state.

MOO
 
  • #29
He declined to comment on media reports that Button told passengers through the bus’s microphone shortly before the crash, “If you think that was fast ... watch this.”

Waddell also declined to comment on reports that passengers were standing moments before the crash.

Linq Buslines, which provides school bus and event charters, owns the bus involved in the crash. Its website says all its buses are equipped with seatbelts.
New South Wales law requires bus passengers to use seatbelts if they are available.

abcnews.go.com

Bus driver facing charges in crash that killed 10 wedding guests denied bail in Australian court

Police allege a bus driver was driving too fast when the vehicle rolled on its side in heavy fog, killing 10 wedding guests and injuring 25 others in an Australian wine region
abcnews.go.com abcnews.go.com
 
  • #30
they'll get you said:
He declined to comment on media reports that Button told passengers through the bus’s microphone shortly before the crash, “If you think that was fast ... watch this.”

Waddell also declined to comment on reports that passengers were standing moments before the crash.

Linq Buslines, which provides school bus and event charters, owns the bus involved in the crash. Its website says all its buses are equipped with seatbelts.
New South Wales law requires bus passengers to use seatbelts if they are available.

abcnews.go.com

Bus driver facing charges in crash that killed 10 wedding guests denied bail in Australian court

Police allege a bus driver was driving too fast when the vehicle rolled on its side in heavy fog, killing 10 wedding guests and injuring 25 others in an Australian wine region
abcnews.go.com abcnews.go.com
Click to expand...
I might be way off on this and I'm also taking it from my memory of in Vic and related to car passengers, but I think for passengers over 16 it's the responsibility of the passenger to wear their belt. As in an over 16 will be fined for not wearing their belt, not the driver.
 
  • #31
they'll get you said:
He declined to comment on media reports that Button told passengers through the bus’s microphone shortly before the crash, “If you think that was fast ... watch this.”

Waddell also declined to comment on reports that passengers were standing moments before the crash.

Linq Buslines, which provides school bus and event charters, owns the bus involved in the crash. Its website says all its buses are equipped with seatbelts.
New South Wales law requires bus passengers to use seatbelts if they are available.

abcnews.go.com

Bus driver facing charges in crash that killed 10 wedding guests denied bail in Australian court

Police allege a bus driver was driving too fast when the vehicle rolled on its side in heavy fog, killing 10 wedding guests and injuring 25 others in an Australian wine region
abcnews.go.com abcnews.go.com
Click to expand...
Okay, so it IS law now that if seatbelts are available then people need to use them. Thank you.

Also, an update on that link I posted above - all ten victims have now been identified, and the article has been expanded to include them.

MOO
 
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  • #32
I thought this sounded like an accident at first but these allegations...
There something verrry wrong with him, if true. (Stating the obvious).

Sincere condolences to the victims' families. May the injured be surrounded by care and support.
 
  • #33
they'll get you said:
He declined to comment on media reports that Button told passengers through the bus’s microphone shortly before the crash, “If you think that was fast ... watch this.”

Waddell also declined to comment on reports that passengers were standing moments before the crash.

Linq Buslines, which provides school bus and event charters, owns the bus involved in the crash. Its website says all its buses are equipped with seatbelts.
New South Wales law requires bus passengers to use seatbelts if they are available.

abcnews.go.com

Bus driver facing charges in crash that killed 10 wedding guests denied bail in Australian court

Police allege a bus driver was driving too fast when the vehicle rolled on its side in heavy fog, killing 10 wedding guests and injuring 25 others in an Australian wine region
abcnews.go.com abcnews.go.com
Click to expand...

Listening to a radio report about this today, a motor collision expert said that it looked like the driver hit the roundabout too fast and the bus leaned to the left, then went over onto its side. Of course, with the disclaimer that official crash investigations are underway.

Who knows if the driver even saw the roundabout, before the bus entered it, in the thick fog.

Definitely seems negligent to be driving at speed in those kind of foggy conditions.
.
 
  • #34
Fabulous response by the emergency workers.


11.30pm: The bus is seen on CCTV passing a service station in Greta.

11.35pm: One of the first calls is made from ambulance dispatchers in the Newcastle area to the call that a bus has rolled over. It is a Priority one.

11.39pm: The first ambulance arrives at the intersection.

11.40pm: The first ambulance arrives at the bus. Paramedics report multiple red- and yellow-label patients on scene. Three helicopters are on the way, including one from Tamworth.

www.9news.com.au

How the Hunter Valley wedding bus crash emergency response unfolded

www.9news.com.au www.9news.com.au
 
  • #35
SouthAussie said:
Fabulous response by the emergency workers.


11.30pm: The bus is seen on CCTV passing a service station in Greta.

11.35pm: One of the first calls is made from ambulance dispatchers in the Newcastle area to the call that a bus has rolled over. It is a Priority one.

11.39pm: The first ambulance arrives at the intersection.

11.40pm: The first ambulance arrives at the bus. Paramedics report multiple red- and yellow-label patients on scene. Three helicopters are on the way, including one from Tamworth.

www.9news.com.au

How the Hunter Valley wedding bus crash emergency response unfolded

www.9news.com.au www.9news.com.au
Click to expand...
Absolutely SA

This hits very close to home for me, I know the two initial paramedics they are both very junior paramedics & I am SO proud of them , they stood up when needed ( they just happened to be 3kms away on their way back from a transfer to the JHH ), but they have a very hard road ahead of them.

The scene was horrendous & the injuries horrific, the absolute worst.

I was listening to the scanner app as it was happening.

This was textbook managed & I am so impressed with all the Emergency services......

Not sure I'll post much in this thread
 
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  • #36
drsleuth said:
Absolutely SA

This hits very close to home for me, I know the two initial paramedics ( they are on the recording released ) they are both very junior paramedics & I am SO proud of them , they stood up when needed ( they just happened to be 3kms away on their way back from a transfer to the JHH ), but they have a very hard road ahead of them.

The scene was horrendous & the injuries horrific, the absolute worst.

I was listening to the scanner app as it was happening.

This was textbook managed & I am so impressed with all the Emergency services......

Not sure I'll post much in this thread
Click to expand...
Kudos and Prayers to all the Emergency services - such a horrible thing to have seen and live with.
 
  • #37
SouthAussie said:
Listening to a radio report about this today, a motor collision expert said that it looked like the driver hit the roundabout too fast and the bus leaned to the left, then went over onto its side. Of course, with the disclaimer that official crash investigations are underway.

Who knows if the driver even saw the roundabout, before the bus entered it, in the thick fog.

Definitely seems negligent to be driving at speed in those kind of foggy conditions.
.
Click to expand...
The things is, he was a local, he would have known the roads, and the roundabout would have been signposted in PLENTY OF TIME for him to slow down and maneuver around it safely. There would have been road signs, which are reflective and designed to be clear in adverse conditions like fog, but also painted markings on the road would have given him advance warning and allowed him to prepare.

But if his behaviour behind the wheel reported by survivors is true, he was behaving like a hoon, not a professional driver. It's behaviour you expect of an irresponsible teenager who thinks he's bulletproof, not somebody old enough to be a grandparent who has been trusted with the great responsibility of getting dozens of people home safely. And when those teenagers kill people, we prosecute them, too, because even at sixteen, seventeen, eighteen... they're old enough to know better.

These unfortunate people hired a bus so that they could get back to their accomodation safely, so that none of them were taking a risk driving under the influence, or driving on country roads late when they were tired. They did what we're told to do, designate a driver or take a courtesy shuttle or walk. They hired this man to keep them safe.

I can only imagine the terror they all felt.

MOO
 
  • #38
I probably won't post much in this thread either now that the tone has changed.

A terrible tragedy which will affect a lot of people forever. :(

The magistrate said that the driver is devastated and one or two photos of him most likely doesn't tell the whole story.

Anyway I'm not willing to join in the attack on someone, even if they were the cause of this tragedy.
 
  • #39
drsleuth said:
Absolutely SA

This hits very close to home for me, I know the two initial paramedics ( they are on the recording released ) they are both very junior paramedics & I am SO proud of them , they stood up when needed ( they just happened to be 3kms away on their way back from a transfer to the JHH ), but they have a very hard road ahead of them.

The scene was horrendous & the injuries horrific, the absolute worst.

I was listening to the scanner app as it was happening.

This was textbook managed & I am so impressed with all the Emergency services......

Not sure I'll post much in this thread
Click to expand...
I'm not religious, so I don't do prayer like a lot of folks do on WS, but please know that I have your friends in my thoughts this evening. They were a crucial part of the response to this tragedy and no doubt saved lives. I hope they're able to get the support they need to process this.

Make sure you take care of yourself, too. <3

MOO
 
  • #40
As much as I understand your feelings Tootsie, a man that says these things prior to having 10 people die on his bus is not (IMO) worthy of defending.

According to the newspaper, some of the survivors who have spoken to police allege Mr Button addressed his passengers through the vehicle’s internal microphone moments before he lost control and said, “If you think that was fast … watch this.”


Hunter Valley bus driver Brett Button allegedly told his passengers to “fasten your seatbelts” moments before the crash that claimed 10 lives, a court has heard.

www.smh.com.au

As it happened: Driver Brett Button told passengers to ‘fasten your seatbelts’ moments before crash, court hears; NSW Police continue to identify victims

The wedding bus driver who crashed in the Hunter Valley, killing 10 passengers and injuring dozens more, faced court this morning after being charged with a string of serious offences.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

The speed was intended, he was showing off. IMO
 
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