Hunter Valley bus crash
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 has been charged with dangerous and negligent driving occasioning death. 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 | Under Investigation |
| Statistics | |
| Bus | Volvo B7R |
| Vehicles | 1 |
| Passengers | 35 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Deaths | 10 |
| Injured | 25 |
Crash
At 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]
Aftermath
The 58-year-old bus driver was arrested and taken to Cessnock police station. A drug and alcohol test produced a negative result.[4] On 12 June he was charged with ten counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of negligent driving occasioning death.[5] He was released on bail of $10,000 to appear at Newcastle local court on 9 August 2023.[6]
The bride and groom were members of the Singleton Roosters Australian football club.[7] 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.[8]
Other notable bus accidents in Australia
- 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.
References
- 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.
- 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) - 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.
- 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.