Police have revealed what allegedly caused a wedding bus crash that claimed 10 lives and left dozens more hospitalized.
A coach carrying 36 people - including the bus driver - rolled over on Wine Country Drive at Greta, New South Wales, around 11:30 PM on Sunday (June 11).
Ten people were killed while 25 others were injured and taken to hospital.
On Monday (June 12) NSW Police revealed that the 58-year-old bus driver - Brett Andrew Button - has been charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, including dangerous driving, and negligent driving (occasioning death), per 7News.
The bus had been carrying the guests from a wedding at a winery to Singleton, a town a 30-minute drive away. It was reported that the area was blanketed in heavy fog at the time of the crash.
Newlyweds Maddy Edsall and Mitchell Gaffney were married at Wandin Valley Estate in the Hunter Valley on Sunday afternoon before they were involved in what has been called one of Australia's deadliest road accidents in decades. The couple's MC, local reporter Alex Tigani, is among the injured currently recovering at John Hunter Hospital. Fortunately, no children had been on board the coach.
The most severely injured - including those with lost limbs - were taken to the region's largest trauma hospital, while several others were airlifted to a Sydney hospital for life-saving surgery. Ten others are at two different hospitals, with four of the 25 injured already discharged.
Police have since revealed what they believe to have been the cause of the crash, alleging that Button was driving "too quick" as he entered the roundabout, which forced the coach to roll. Acting Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said Button was facing a range of "very serious" charges in relation to the tragic deaths. "He entered that roundabout driving in a manner that was inconsistent with the conditions," Waddell said, per 9News.
There had also been reports of heavy fog in the area the evening of the crash, but Waddell made no comment on whether visibility played a part in the accident. "The whole conditions will be examined as part of the investigation. So, it will be about how the driver drove in relation to the conditions,' he stated.
It is currently unclear as to whether the passengers had been wearing seatbelts at the time. The bus has now been examined by experts and removed from the roundabout, where it will be subject to further examination by investigators.
