A 58-year-old Maitland man who was behind the wheel of a bus that rolled while ferrying wedding guests from a venue in the Hunter Valley, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 people, has been charged by police.
Brett Andrew Button will face court tomorrow charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death – drive manner dangerous, and negligent driving (occasioning death).
Police say that just after 11.30pm yesterday, emergency services were called to the roundabout on Wine Country Drive near the Hunter Expressway off ramp at Greta, after reports a coach had rolled.
A large-scale emergency response commenced involving officers from Hunter Valley Police District, Police Rescue, Traffic and Highway Patrol, NSW Ambulance paramedics, NSW Fire and Rescue, NSW Rural Fire Service, and various helicopters for hospital transports.
Inquiries indicate 36 people were on the bus at the time with 10 passengers declared deceased and 25 passengers transported to hospital via helicopter and road.
A crime scene was established which is being examined by specialist forensic police and officers from the Crash Investigation Unit.
The driver of the bus was taken to hospital under police guard for mandatory testing and assessment. He was later transferred to Cessnock Police Station where he was charged over the incident.
He was refused bail to appear at Cessnock Local Court tomorrow.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
