5 days ago
6
Schoolgirls frantically pulled their friends from the wreck of a bus after a truck with faulty brakes careened into the vehicle, amid fears fuel spilled from the accident would spark a blaze.
Brett Michael Russell crashed his truck into the bus carrying students from Loreto College in Ballarat who were on their way to Melbourne Airport for a once-in-a-lifetime NASA camp in the United States in September 2022.
Truck driver Brett Michael Russell has faced court over the bus crash in 2022.Credit: Jason South
The 63-year-old yesterday pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria to a dozen charges, including 10 counts of negligently causing serious injury and two of conduct endangering persons.
He admitted to injuring 27 students, four school employees and the bus driver, and endangering three roadside workers near the scene of the crash.
The court was told Russell knew the brakes on his truck and the trailers he was towing were faulty.
During the pre-sentence hearing on Thursday, schoolgirls and teachers on board the bus shared how the crash continued to impact their lives.
One student, now in her 20s, recalled staying on the bus to help her friends and other students who were trapped on board. This is despite her suffering a torn quadriceps muscle, soft-tissue injuries and a concussion.
The badly damaged truck and school bus after the crash in September 2022.Credit: AAP
She woke up to the “massive shock” of the bus rolling down an embankment on the Western Highway near Bacchus Marsh north-west or Melbourne, and the “absolute chaos” of girls crying.
“I began to panic when I smelled fuel leaking from the bus and worried we were about to set fire as well,” she said.
The young woman held her friend’s hand until her leg was free, and they were able to escape the bus.
“I held her hand, told her it was going to be OK, feeling deep dread and hoping nothing would spark.”
During the student’s statement, Russell, who appeared via video link from prison, wiped tears from his eyes.
The young woman’s father, whose statement was read to the court, said the mental toll from the crash rippled out across entire families.
He said the incident would impact his daughter for the rest of her life, and she still struggled with daily tasks like driving and would plan so she didn’t have to be in a car at night.
“[She] … was trapped inside a dark bus, helping others that were either pinned under seats or too injured to move.
“Not only was she trying to help others deal with the horrifying terror of not being able to get out but also the concern the fuel she could smell could burst into flames at any second,” he said.
Another schoolgirl turned 16 the day of the crash, and instead of celebration and joy, she experienced emotional trauma and a fear she couldn’t explain.
“The crash didn’t just leave a mark, it broke something in me, in all of us that day, and everything that came after.”
Loading
She told the court she woke up lying in the dirt where the window was, and remembered trying not to pass out.
The teenager recalled climbing out of the wreckage with a friend, but falling into a ditch and was covered in vomit and blood.
“It was pitch-black. We could barely see, barely walk,” she said.
“I was covered in vomit as a result of my concussion. There was blood all over my phone, clothes and hair. I didn’t know if it was mine or someone else’s. I felt helpless and humiliated.”
In an interview with police months after the crash, Russell said his boss told him it would take a day before the parts needed to fix the brakes would arrive.
But he said he thought he would “be alright” despite the truck’s brake issues.
When detectives asked him if he was aware of the risk, he said: “Yes. And I still took the risk.”
About 15 kilometres before the crash, there had been alarms sounding in his cabin about the brakes, Russell told police.
Soon after, he began approaching roadworks which had a 40km/h speed limit but was unable to slow down. He crashed into the rear of the school bus, shunting it through a barrier and causing it to repeatedly roll down the embankment.
The pre-sentence hearing continues.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Most Viewed in National
Loading
