An independent report has been handed down – three years on from the fatal Hunter Valley wedding bus crash.
The Office of Transport Safety Investigations has laid the foundations for the largest bus industry safety overhaul in 20 years.
It was June 11, 2023 when the coach rolled at a roundabout at the Branxton interchange… killing 10 guests returning from a wedding, and injuring 25 others.
The agency has found driver Brett Button should not have been behind the wheel that night, given a likely history of prescription painkiller misuse… among other issues.
More than 30 recommendations have been made to government regulators, authorities, operators and other organisations… all have been accepted, or accepted in principle.
They include developing a centralised driver performance management system, and increasing seatbelt wearing in coaches.
As for Button, he’s serving a 32-year jail sentence, after pleading guilty to 35 offences.
