The driver of the bus that veered off a highway while transporting 27 girls from a private school has been lauded as a hero for saving their lives.
Students and four faculty members from Loreto College, Ballarat were traveling down Victoria’s Western Highway in the wee hours of Wednesday morning when their bus paused to prevent a collision and was then struck by a truck.
The truck went down an embankment shortly after 3:20 am, however there were no fatalities due in large part to the courageous acts of the bus driver.
Trevor Oliver, the owner of the tow truck company that responded to the scene, told ABC that despite being hurt himself, the driver ensured that every female was out of harm’s way.
How he survived is incredible. He stated that he refused to go to the hospital until every girl had left the accident scene.
It was comparable to the ship’s captain falling down.
The driver of the bus that crashed while transporting a group of private school girls has been hailed as a hero for acting as if he were the captain of a sinking ship.
Mr. Oliver was nearby working to clean debris from another collision when he heard “three horrifying bangs” during the horrific collision.
He rushed to the scene and assisted in the release of the ninth- to twelfth-grade schoolgirls.
The operator of the tow truck disclosed that one of the girls had to have a portion of her leg amputated.
“Three of us captured her… We were able to liberate her and carry her out,’ he claimed.
‘I was only attempting to soothe her down while collecting anything we could to bandage her leg because we were aware that she was bleeding.
It felt like a lifetime before enough ambulances arrived.
Steve Buck, the chief executive officer of Kangaroo Transport Industries, stated that the 60-year-old driver was a subcontractor “who has been safely running road trains for more than 30 years” and required surgery after becoming trapped in the cab.
The school bus carrying 27 pupils and four teachers rolled 50 meters after colliding with a truck in the confusion caused by a prior truck accident (pictured, emergency services at the scene)
The Bus Association of Victoria believes that seatbelts played a significant impact in saving lives once the majority of passengers fastened up.
Chris Lowe, executive director of the British Transport Police, told The Guardian: ‘It appears that there were a few who weren’t wearing seatbelts, but the vast majority were.’
If it had not been for the seatbelt, the situation could have been much worse.
All passengers were able to extract themselves from the debris and escape the incident, according to the police.
Detective Inspector Roger Schranz stated, ‘Quite astonishingly, they self-evacuated and others, I assume truck drivers and others, stopped to assist them.’
I would have anticipated that someone would perish as a result of this entire catastrophe. Therefore, they are all extremely fortunate.
Wednesday morning, when emergency services arrived, the school bus was on its side and students were pulling themselves from the debris.
Acting Victoria Police Superintendent Jason Templar told reporters that the incident was “pretty terrifying” for all those involved.
“It’s incredible that no one was more gravely harmed,” he remarked.
Three of the adolescents who were airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital remain in critical but stable condition.
A woman in her forties and a man in his fifties remain in stable condition at Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Wednesday saw the transport of the remaining passengers to various hospitals for observation.
Chris Lowe, executive director of the BAV, stated that the majority of kids were wearing seatbelts on the bus, a choice that may have saved many lives, as police were relieved to find no casualties at the scene.
Following a mishap the previous evening, speed restrictions were reduced at the time of the crash.
On Thursday’s Day of Mourning official holiday, Loreto College will be open so that students, parents, and faculty can get counseling.
Six nights at the NASA space camp, two nights in Washington, a visit of the US Capitol, lunch with an astronaut, and an airboat tour of the Florida Everglades were included in the students’ fascinating vacation to the United States.
Due to Covid constraints, the tour, which cost $7,700 per student, was earlier canceled.
The devastated mother of one of the students posted on a local social media group to explain that her daughter was physically unharmed but emotionally traumatized by the experience.
The mother canceled her own overseas vacation and promptly rescheduled her travels to remain with her kid.
The mother added, “I wanted to express how Jetstar has mitigated the impact of what has been a dreadful day for my family.”
Victoria Police Detective Inspector Roger Schranz (pictured) stated that the truck driver, who was critically injured, collided with the bus as a result of traffic congestion caused by an earlier collision.
“We were on our separate ways to the airport for our trip to Bali when we learnt of the severity of the crash.
While she is physically okay, many of her pals have been airlifted or transferred via road ambulance to the hospital.
The mother then stated that she wanted to “give credit where credit is due” to the airline for their assistance and encouraged parents to “please squeeze your loved ones a little tighter.”
Witness to the impact
Trevor Oliver, an employee of a towing company, reported to Seven News that he was around 800 meters up the road when he heard three loud collisions.
Mr. Oliver rushed to the incident and was horrified to see 9th to 11th children hurt and spilling from the bus onto the grass.
“Instantaneously, your heart drops, yet to arrive and meet pupils is another universe,” he explained.
Mr. Oliver stated that he went down the hill and, with the aid of others, removed the driver’s windshield so that some of the females might escape.
Then he observed a girl whose leg was nearly completely detached from her body. “Three of us grabbed her… we freed her and brought her out,” he explained.
Trevor Oliver (shown) rushed to the scene following a collision between a school bus and a vehicle on a Melbourne motorway.
Wednesday around 3.15am, a truck and a car collided (site specified) in Bacchus Marsh, near Melbourne’s north-west.
“I was simply attempting to calm her down. We used anything we could find to wrap her leg because we were aware that she was bleeding.
He then provided his phone to the students so they could call their family.
Mr. Oliver had worked for the Country Fire Authority and has previously dealt with trauma, but he acknowledged that it never gets easier.
The institution issued a statement thanking first responders and assuring parents.
The college is extremely appreciative of the prompt and professional response of the emergency services personnel at the site, as well as Grampians Health’s continuous support, according to the statement.
“Our compassionate Loreto community is deeply concerned for the injured and their families, and we respectfully request that their privacy be respected.” We appreciate your understanding.’
Since then, the Melbourne-bound Western Freeway lanes between Ballan and Bacchus Marsh have reopened.
Detectives from the major collision team are probing the specific causes of the collision.