Driver jailed over deadly Australian wedding bus crash
The driver behind one of Australia’s deadliest road accidents—a wedding bus crash that resulted in 10 fatalities—has been sentenced to 32 years in prison.
On June 11, 2023, the coach overturned while returning from a wedding celebration in the Hunter Valley wine region of New South Wales, injuring 25 others.
Brett Button, 59, was under the influence of prescription opioids and driving at excessive speeds when the accident occurred.
Although he was initially charged with manslaughter, Button opted to plead guilty to multiple dangerous driving offenses as part of a plea deal with the prosecution.
A warning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers: This story contains images of people who have died.
Surviving passengers and loved ones of those who died travelled from around the country to see Button sentenced, sobbing and hugging each other as the judge ruled he could not be released on parole until May of 2048.
Button had taken a large amount of Tramadol – a powerful drug which can cause drowsiness, brain fog and poor vision – to manage his chronic pain on the day of the crash but said that he did not realise he was impaired.
However passengers told the court they were terrified by his erratic driving, and some had urged him to slow down.
Shortly after, he lost control of the bus on a roundabout, causing it to tip on its side and slide along a guard rail.
It was carrying 35 passengers and everyone on board, except Button, was injured or killed.
Two whole days were devoted to listening to statements from more than 30 of those impacted in a hearing the judge called unprecedented in scale.
Several people spoke of their enduring grief and daily physical agony.
Graeme McBride suffered serious injuries in the crash, which also killed his wife Nadene, his only child Kyah, 22, and her partner Kane Symons, 21.
Crying, Mr McBride told the court “my family tree has been cut down”.
“I just want my old life back.
“I want to be able to sleep on a dry pillow… I just want to lay in a comfortable position without a broken neck and heart.”
