Australia woke on the King’s Birthday holiday to news of a catastrophic bus crash in the Hunter Valley, 90 minutes north of Sydney.
The bus, carrying guests who had attended a wedding, folded as it entered a roundabout.
Ten people were killed, and 25 others sustained injuries. According to police, 14 individuals are still hospitalised, with injuries varying from lacerations to fractures and breaks, including two in the intensive care unit.
Click and listen to the full episode below:
On today’s This Arvo In Sydney, host Sacha Barbour Gatt talked to Tom Daher, spokesman for the Road Trauma Support Group NSW, to find out ways families and communities cope with the trauma of road crashes.
The driver, Brett Button, was taken to hospital for mandatory testing but had emerged relatively unscathed from the crash.
Today, the 58-year-old has been granted bail, with the case adjourned to 9 August.
Mr Daher said it would be important that victims’ families were not left alone to fend for themselves.
It’s an absolute tragedy, and it’s a very, very dark, hard road that these people are about to face,”
he said.
Mr Daher lost his father in a car crash by a driver on a suspended license who was also affected by drugs in 2017. However, there was no available support for him, and the family was left alone.
The only way to deal with it. It is to give it time to be there for them to support them, not to imply that let’s move on. You’ll be okay. You’ll get over it. It doesn’t go away. Listen to them. Let them grieve. Let them cry. Be there.”
Starting from Tuesday morning, Singleton will have a drop-in mental health clinic available to support the community during this challenging time following the crash.
If you or someone you know requires assistance, please reach out to Lifeline at 131 114 or Beyond Blue at 1300 224 636.
Hosted by Sacha Barbour, This Arvo in Sydney is a 10 to 12 minute daily news podcast made just for Sydney! Listen now on the Listnr app.