The groom at the center of a tragic wedding bus crash that claimed the lives of 10 people has spoken publicly for the first time at one of the victims' funerals.
On June 11, groom Mitchell Gaffney and his bride Maddy Edsell tied the knot at Wandin Estate in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia.
The couple's nuptials ended late at night so they hired a coach to drive 36 of their guests from the reception to their accommodation in Singleton at approximately 11:30 PM.
However, about 17 minutes in, the bus rolled over on Wine Country Drive at Greta which resulted in the deaths of 10 people, and hospitalizing 25 more.
On June 12, just a day after the incident, police revealed that the 58-year-old bus driver named Brett Andrew Button had been charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, including driving manner dangerous, and negligent driving (occasioning death).
However, Button was later granted jail and pictured leaving Cessnock police station. Before that, the driver reportedly spent the night in a police cell while repeating two heartbreaking words: "I’m sorry."
In the wake of the tragedy, the victims of the horrific crash have been named. Nadene McBride, her daughter Kyah McBride and Kyah's boyfriend Kane Symons have been identified.
Also named by local news outlets were Andrew and Lynan Scott - who sadly leave behind two children under the age of five - as well as Angus Craig, Rebecca 'Bec' Mullen, and Tori Cowburn.
Darcy Bulman from Victoria has also been reported as a victim of the crash. Eight players from Victoria's Warrandyte Cricket Club and five of their partners are noted to be among those that are injured, including Brandon Stafford, a third-grade cricket XI captain who had served as a groomsman, whose injuries include broken collar bones and a broken jaw.
On Tuesday (July 5), Gaffney joined family and friends at his friend Zachary Bray’s funeral. Bray was remembered for his resilient nature after overcoming a bowel cancer diagnosis in 2019 at just 25 years old.
While Gaffney and his wife grieved privately in the month since the incident, the groom took a moment to share some words about the 29-year-old.
"Although you’ll never get the chance to put the jumper on again, you’ll always be there by our side," Gaffney said, adding that Bray was known by friends on the field by his nickname "Lab" - short for labrador, according to 7News.
"They’re pretty smart dogs, they’re extremely loveable but no matter what they do, they do it with that big goofy smile," Gaffney continued. "That was the first impression he made and it still holds true.
"We will forever cherish the memories that we are lucky enough to hold together," he added.
Zachary's father Adam Bray also paid tribute to his son’s love of flying by repeating his departure call for a final time. "Over and out," he said. "Rest in peace, my beautiful boy."
Almost a month on from the crash, the final victims will be laid to rest in the coming week. Per the publication, more than $1 million has been raised for the victims and families of those involved in the tragedy, with more than $460,000 already distributed to the families.