Bus driver arrested over Hunter Valley wedding bus crash that killed ...
A 58-year-old bus driver has been arrested and police say he is expected to be charged over a crash that killed 10 wedding guests in the Hunter Valley, described by Premier Chris Minns as a “terrible event in the history of NSW”.
The driver, who was taken to hospital under police guard for mandatory testing and assessment, remained in custody at Cessnock police station on Monday afternoon.
“He’s under arrest, he’s been the driver of a motor vehicle collision where there have been fatal injuries, and there will be charges pending,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said.
“There’s sufficient information for us to establish that there will be charges.”
Chapman said he was assisting with inquiries and no charges had been laid.
She said 10 people were confirmed dead, and 25 others had been taken to hospital with “varying injuries”, including two via helicopter, after the coach carrying wedding guests rolled late on Sunday night.
The guests had attended the wedding of Maddy Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney at Wandin Valley Estate winery in Lovedale on Sunday, and were travelling on a coach on Wine Country Drive at Greta when the crash occurred at a roundabout near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp about 11.30pm.
As of 10am on Monday, there were 21 patients being treated across four hospitals, according to the NSW premier’s office.
One patient was in a critical condition and eight others in a stable condition at John Hunter Hospital; five in a stable condition at Maitland Hospital; five in a stable condition at Calvary Mater Newcastle; and two in a stable condition at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Police sources say the driver of the bus was not intoxicated and did not blow over the legal blood alcohol limit when tested after the crash.
However, police believe he was driving erratically before the crash, a source said.
“We’re investigating all avenues of driver behaviour,” Chapman said in an update from Greta shortly after midday.
She said emergency services arrived to a “confronting and very traumatic scene”, and there was “always a possibility” the number of deaths could increase.
Police said they were still working to identify the crash victims and contact their next of kin.
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Chapman said the bodies of the victims remained at the scene, and police were receiving calls from family members and friends as they work to identify them. She said some witness statements had been taken overnight and in hospital.
“Obvious difficulties for us [are] processing the scene and working through all of that process to enable us to give some clarity to family members about what’s happened,” Chapman said.
“In terms of those who are deceased, we certainly have a list of people who we’re still trying to account for.”
Speaking at the crash scene, Minns said: “This has been a terrible, terrible event in the history of NSW.”
“A day that was meant to be a joyous one, where family and friends could come together to celebrate something really special, has obviously ended in unimaginable despair.”
He added: “Whatever the final toll is in this terrible accident, it will be more than we can bear.”
The winery placed a sign on its fence on Monday stating it was closed “out of respect”. In a statement, Wandin Valley Estate confirmed the crash had “claimed the lives” of some of its guests, adding that its “heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims and we are supporting them in any way we can”.
“At this time, we are providing support to those guests who need our help and we wish to maintain their privacy and won’t be making any further statements,” the winery said.
Chapman said the bus was travelling to Singleton, “presumably for their accommodation”.
The bus company involved in the fatal crash has been identified as Linq Buslines, a business with more than 30 years’ experience and a base in the Hunter suburb of East Gresford.
On its website, the company says its coaches are equipped with seatbelts. The bus involved in the crash is a 2009 Volvo B7R that has 57 seats.
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The large-scale emergency operation has closed Wine Country Drive in both directions between the New England Highway and the Bridge Street roundabout at Huntlee.
Nine reported that an off-duty paramedic was the first on the scene. Conditions on the road were foggy at the time, with visibility reduced to about 100 metres.
One man who attended the wedding said it had been a “fairytale” event, before news of the tragedy began filtering through.
“It was a nice day, a pretty good wedding... fairytale stuff really ... and we got the news that there had been a crash, and we all started panicking,” the man told 7NEWS.
Audio from one of the first responders on the scene captured the frantic moments after the bus crashed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his sorrow during a speech at Parliament House on Monday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“Major incident declared, we have a bus rollover, multiple patients,” said the NSW Ambulance inspector.
“I need all resources allocated to continue. I’m still trying to work out exactly how many patients I have here.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a statement on Monday, telling the crash survivors in hospital: “Australia wraps its arms around you.”
“For a joyous day like that, in a beautiful place, to end with such terrible loss of life and injury is so cruel and so sad and so unfair,” Albanese said. “People hire a bus for weddings in order to keep their guests safe. And that just adds to the unimaginable nature of this tragedy.”
The mayor of Cessnock, Jay Suvaal, said news of the fatal crash was “truly horrific” and “something that no one wants to wake up to”.
“We are a major wedding and tourist destination in the Hunter Valley, and so there will be people from all over the state and the country that have been to these areas and have probably done similar things,” Suvaal said.
“I think it will send shockwaves right through the broader community.”
A crime scene has been established, which will be examined by specialist forensic police and the Crash Investigation Unit on Monday.
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