Port Macquarie school bus crash: the aftermath

How it unfolded: Bus crash and emergency response 

Wednesday, 4.30pm:

The Mid North Coast Local Health District's chief executive, Stewart Dowrick, has described the impressive spectacle as the emergency department opened its doors to a mass of patients and concerned parents after Tuesday's school bus crash.

"I was fortunate to be at the base hospital at the time, and the staff were incredibly professional and very calm in a difficult situation," Mr Dowrick said.

He reserved special praise for the junior medical professionals working in the emergency department on Tuesday.

"We had a number of younger doctors who benefited from the leadership of some of our very experienced staff," he said.

The size and scale of the crash is a rarity for this area, but Mr Dowrick said he believes services in the area are up to the task.

"It gives me a sense that our staff responded so well along with other emergency services groups," he said.

"It does reinforce that we need to be ready for such a situation.

"Yesterday was something that we did well, and there will be lessons to be learned, to understand what we could have done better." 

Wednesday, 4pm:

A CRASH Investigation Unit has been charged with determining the cause of a school bus crash in Port Macquarie on Tuesday afternoon.

Crime manager for the Mid North Coast Local Area Command Steve Clarke said, at this stage, investigations were continuing.

"Initial investigations indicate mechanical failure and road conditions were not contributing factors," Detective Inspector Clarke said.

Police, he said, would now be seeking to interview the bus driver at the first available opportunity.

At present the 63-year-old man remains in the Port Macquarie Base Hospital.

"We'll also be looking to seize the video and still footage from inside the bus," Detective Inspector Clarke said.

He said investigations would determine, as with all road accidents, whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.

Wednesday, 3pm:

Newman Senior Technical College has praised the efforts of its students, staff, members of the community and emergency services for their quick response at Tuesday's school bus accident on Hastings River Drive.

Newman College students Trent Maybury, William Gardiner and Joshua Burtenshaw, who were passengers on the bus, assisted younger students off the vehicle via a broken window.

Two Newman College staff were driving behind the bus at the time of the accident and were on the scene immediately offering assistance to passengers with injuries.

College principal Stephen Pares said the Senior First Aid course completed by every Newman College student within the first few weeks of commencement has proved invaluable.

"I am so incredibly proud of our students and their brave reaction to this accident," Mr Pares said.

"We have had an overwhelming response from parents, and the Port Macquarie community, commenting on the maturity of our students towards the younger boys and girls along with the assistance our staff were able to provide. 

"It was a moment in time where our students responded in the manner we hoped they would."

Wednesday, 12.30pm:

A DISASTER management plan was enacted by paramedics to deal with the chaos on the roadside following Tuesday's bus crash on Hastings River Drive. 

The site controller for Ambulance NSW, Inspector Andrew Beverley, arrived at the crash and was immediately confronted by a chaotic scene.

But, the veteran paramedic said, the sheer size of the emergency response ensured his personnel had the task under control.

"The weight of numbers was a big consideration," he said.

"We basically exhausted all our resources to attend it."

Initial assessment of the children and bus's driver took place in a roadside triage, Inspector Beverley said, before those in a serious condition were transferred to Port Macquarie Base Hospital.

"We had six ambulances there and, once we had the loading point organised, we were good to go."

Inspector Beverley said the patients' injuries ranged from suspected limb fractures to bumps and muscular ailments.

Wednesday, 11.15am

Busways say no evidence of mechanical failure

Busways has released a statement about Tuesday's bus crash which says that there was "no evidence of mechanical failure". Here is Busways' full release:

Busways confirms that a bus from Busways’ Port Macquarie Depot was involved in an accident on Hastings River Rd, Port Macquarie just before 4pm Tuesday.

There were 35 student passengers on board the bus at the time, who as a result of the accident suffered shock and minor injuries. All students were taken to hospital for assessment and treatment. 

The driver and one student currently remain in hospital, both understood to be in a stable condition.

The cause of the accident is still undetermined, though there is no evidence of mechanical failure. 

Busways are currently doing everything possible to assist the Police, RMS and other relevant authorities with the investigation of this incident. 

Information further to this incident will come from the Police who are handling the investigation.

Busways sends its regret and thoughts to everyone involved in the accident and their families. 

Efforts are being made to stay in touch with affected parties to offer information and support services.

Wednesday, 10:30am

A SCHOOL bus crash on Hastings River Drive was an accident waiting to happen.

That's the view of the School Transport Action Group (STAG). Group spokesman Peter Rodgers has slammed the state government for what he believes to be inaction on the issue of school bus safety in regional NSW.

"Sad to say it finally happened," Mr Rodgers said. 

"A school bus crashes and children are injured, some seriously. If the children had been travelling on a modern bus fitted with seat belts, I am sure that there would have been fewer injuries and most likely no serious injuries at all."

He shamed the NSW Government for refusing to fully implement the recommendations of the School Bus Safety Advisory Committee.

Wednesday, 9.30am: 

A NSW Health spokeswoman has confirmed that only two patients remain at Port Macquarie Base Hospital following Tuesday's school bus crash. A 16-year-old girl and a 63-year-old man are in a stable condition. The spokeswoman said it is expected the 16-year-old will be discharged within 24 hours. 

All passengers on the bus were taken to hospital for treatment or precautionary assessment late Tuesday afternoon. 

A statement from Mid North Coast Local Health District's chief executive, Stewart Dowrick, will follow later today.