Struggling through his own pain, a groomsman, who was also a passenger, rummaged through the rubble of the bus that had just crashed, trying to help his friends who were trapped in or under the vehicle.
Carrying about 40 guests from the Hunter Valley wedding reception that was described by some as a “fairy tale,” the chartered bus took a turn “too quick,” dropping it on its side, killing 10 people, among them parents of two young children who are now orphaned.
The small town of Singleton is in shock.
On Sunday June 11, Madeleine Edsell rolled up to the grounds of the Wandin Valley Estate in a 1957 Volkswagen Beetle that had been restored by her father. The bride was greeted at the New South Wales winery by her wedding guests and her now husband Mitchell Gaffney. The young couple and several guests were members of the Singleton Roosters Aussie rules team.
“Maddie rocked up to the ceremony in a restored 1957 Beetle convertible. It was so cool,” the Hunter Valley Celebrant Ashley Ogle shared on Instagram. “Her dad, they’ve been holding on to it for 42 years, and he finally got it ready for Madeleine’s wedding … it was so cool to see her rock up in the bug.”
Referring to the couple she said are “beautiful people,” Ogle continued in the post that have since been removed, “… after the ceremony, Mitch and Madeleine got off and drove back to the pavilion in it. It was so cute.”
As celebrations slowed down, about 40 people boarded a Linq Buslines 2009 Volvo B7R coach, with 57 seats including seatbelts. The passengers were headed “presumably for their accommodation,” said New South Wales Police acting assistant commissioner Tracy Chapman.
“It was a nice day, a pretty good wedding … fairy tale stuff really, it was a nice day, and we went to come back and get drunk,” a guest told 7NEWS.
Shortly after 11:30 p.m., on what was intended to be a 20-minute drive from the winery to Singleton, the bus rolled over while making a turn at a roundabout near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp.
According to BBC, attending police said there was heavy fog in the area and suspect the vehicle was travelling “too quick” while making a turn at a roundabout off a highway.
At least 15 passengers were taken to hospital, two airlifted, and at least 10 people were killed.
The newlyweds were not on the bus and one of Edsell’s relatives described her reaction when she learned the shuttle bus crashed, killing some of her friends.
“The bride was pretty much kicking down the door trying to get in the car,” Edsell’s cousin Kynan Stanford told 7News.
“(She said), ‘Get me there, I need to go’ and we were like, ‘No, you don’t need to go.’”
Two of the passengers killed in what’s been called Australia’s most deadliest crash since 1994, are Andrew Scott and wife Lynan, who leave behind two young children under the age of five.
After meeting more than a decade ago, the young couple–both members of the Roosters Football Club–had their second child less than two years ago.
Lynan, a Queensland University graduate, was a mining engineer at the same company as the groom, and was close to another victim, teammate Tori Cowburn, who as of June 14 was unaccounted for after the crash.
Andrew–a lifeguard and landscaper turned physiotherapist–is a former member of the Redland-Victoria Point Sharks Football Club and remembered by his old team in a heartfelt Facebook tribute to the player nicknamed “Chisel.”
“The football community is mourning the loss of former player Andrew Scott and wife Lynan who passed away in the Hunter Valley this week. Chisel, as he was known, played for the Bombers in 2014 alongside his brother Luke.” The post continues, “He was a terrific member of our community both on and off the field and was characterised by his big heart and willingness to help anyone.”
The small community of about 25,000, where many of the guests and victims lived, is completely shaken.
At the clinic where Andrew worked, a “closed” sign was hanging on the door, a haunting reminder of the horrific crash.
Across the road from Singleton Physiotherapy is a florist who shared how Andrew, just days before his death, helped her partner with his leg injury.
“He was my boyfriend’s physio–he was always really kind and seemed happy when he saw him just last week,” Rachel Gore said of Andrew, the Singleton Roosters AFL player.
Lynan’s Facebook account, filled with gorgeous photos of the pair and of their little ones, is now a memorial page, with a message asking friends or family to share memories.
Also killed in the Hunter Valley crash was Nadene McBride, coach of the Singleton Roosters women’s squad, her daughter Kyah “a beautiful person inside and out,” and her partner, 21-year-old Kane Symons. Kane was called “Superman” by his friends, who also said he was an amazing athlete.
“He was adventurous, he loved having to go and trying things and doing things and challenging himself and others,” Steve Symons, father of Kane–a surfer and footballer–told the Sydney Morning Herald. “He was only a kid.”
Confirmed dead are Zachary Bray, a cancer survivor, Melbourne’s Darcy Bulman who was a “wonderful colleague,” a young doctor Rebecca Mullen who was “a friend to all who knew her,” and Brisbane’s Angus Craig, a “kind-hearted and adventurous soul.”
But, amid the tragedy, is an act of heroism by groomsman, Brandon Stafford, a close friend of Gaffney, who was on the bus. Stafford and Gaffney played in the same cricket club in Victoria, where Gaffney and his now wife lived before moving to the Hunter Valley area.
Stafford, 27, had broken his jaw in the accident and fighting through his pain, he selflessly tried to help others, pulling passengers from the flipped bus before he was taken to hospital.
Police are still trying to piece together the events leading up to the fatal crash, also identifying victims.
The 58-year-old driver of the bus, Brett Andrew Button, 58, is charged with ten counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of negligent driving. He is scheduled to appear in court in August.
Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister, said it’s “so cruel, so sad and so unfair” that a “joyous day in a beautiful place like that to end with such terrible loss of life.” Speaking at a press conference in Canberra, he continued, “People hire a bus for weddings in order to keep their guests safe, and that just adds to the unimaginable nature of this tragedy,”
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the accident is “nothing short of heartbreaking.” He adds, “For this horrific crash to have occurred on a day that should have been filled with love and happiness only adds to the heartbreak…For a day of joy to end in such devastating loss is cruel indeed. Our thoughts are also with those who have been injured,” he said.
A charity fund through the NSW Government donation offers “benevolent relief and support” to the survivors and families.
Some days after the horrible event, the bride and groom broke their silence after the wedding bus tragedy.
“While we appreciate the outpouring of love and support from the community, we ask that the media respect our privacy while we grieve,” the couple said in a statement.
“Our primary focus at this time is processing this tragedy, and supporting our family and friends, which is why we’d like to formally decline any requests for media interviews.”
It’s awful to hear that a happy day ended in such tragedy. The newlyweds, no doubt, will never be able to look back on their wonderful day without feeling pain for the loved ones who died. In this time of healing, our heart and thoughts go to family, friends and to the community.
