Sunday, June 11, 2023
11.15pm – A large white bus carrying 36 guests who attended the wedding of Madeleine Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney leaves the Wandin Estate winery in Lovedale to take them to their accomodation.
11.30pm – The bus, driven by Brett Andrew Button, is captured on CCTV passing by a service station in Greta.
11.35pm – Minutes later, an ambulance dispatcher in Newcastle reports a major trauma emergency near Greta after a bus has rolled.
The incident is being treated as a ‘priority 1’ and five ambulances are dispatched to Wine Country Drive.
11.38pm – NSW Ambulance Inspector Joel de’ Zuna is travelling towards the crash site and is told ‘We’ve got multiple passengers, up to 40. There are people trapped under the bus.’
11.39pm – The first ambulance arrives at the scene less than five minutes after the first call. Three helicopters are dispatched to the scene.
Paramedics grade the patients by the severity of their injuries with multiple passengers deemed dead (code 4) and others critical (red label).
11.42pm – A second ambulance at the scene reports that there are at least four people trapped under the bus.
11.44pm – Four people are reported dead.
11.50pm – Fire and Rescue NSW crews report multiple patients are trapped and request a technical rescue team be dispatched to the scene.
Five helicopters, 11 ambulances and three rescue units are on their way.
11.55pm – A dispatcher warns crews of heavy fog in the area and urges caution.
11.57pm – Mr de’Zuna arrives on the scene – 22 minutes after the first triple-0 call – and takes over control of the scene.
Monday, June 12
12.01am – Mr de’Zuna calls over the radio that the situation has escalated and seven code 4s (fatalities) have been declared.
12.02am to 12.15am – A helicopter leaves Orange and will arrive in about 45 minutes. The crew is warned of heavy fog.
Another helicopter departs Bankstown with a senior retrieval officer on-board who will act as medical commander and assess patients at the scene.
The first patient – a male with a closed head injury – is taken by ambulance to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
Nine people are declared dead at the scene.
12.20am to 12.40am – Another helicopter departs Wollongong and will arrive at the scene in 50 minutes.
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A Westpac rescue helicopter leaves John Hunter Hospital for the scene and is due to arrive in 10 minutes.
12.43am – The first helicopter to arrive is forced to land at a development site south of the crash scene because of fog.
Two helicopters land at the Green Ridge Hunter Valley retirement community.
NSW Police Superintendent Luke Wiseman arrives on the scene and takes over command.
1.00am to 1.20am – Seven passengers with minor injuries travel by van to Maitland Hospital.
Superintendent Wiseman requests that two helicopters be stood down.
One critical patient, 10 serious patients and six green-label (walking wounded) patients remain on scene.
1.25am to 2am – The most serious patients are placed into a helicopter with a senior medical commander.
The last passengers are transported to Mater Hospital.
2.40am – Emergency crews travel to John Hunter Hospital to debrief.
Later that day
5.09pm – Bus driver Brett Andrew Button, 58, is charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of negligent driving (occasioning death).
Ten passengers are declared dead, although police are yet to publicly identify these victims.
Tuesday, June 13
7am – Tasmanian Kane Symons is the first person identified as one of the 10 killed during the crash.
8am – Nine people are still ‘unaccounted for’ and are identified by media as mother-and-daughter Nadene and Kyah McBride, Angus Craig, husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott, and Singleton locals Tori Cowburn and Bec Mullen.
Two wedding guests from out of town are also listed among those unaccounted for – Byron Bay resident Zach Bray and Victorian resident Darcy Bulman.
10am – Button faced court and was released on bail.
8.39pm – The road where the crash happened reopens to the public.
– By NCA Newswire
