Seatbelts could be made compulsory on all Victorian buses after primary school students suffered life-altering injuries in a crash in Melbourne’s west.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the government could consider mandating seat belts on buses after a truck collided with the bus carrying 46 children from Exford Primary School at nearby Eynesbury on Tuesday.
“We may have to have a very close look at that,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“It’s really important that we establish what happened here and then learn from it. We owe that to everyone who’s been caught up in this.”
Under Victorian law, buses or coaches are not required to have seatbelts unless there is a seat directly facing a front windscreen.
But they must be worn if available, including on school buses.
Since 2013, all new state school buses in regional and rural areas have been fitted with seatbelts.
Some 1143 dedicated school buses have seatbelts installed, with all school buses expected to be fitted out by the end of 2024.
First responders have said some of the primary school students in the crash were still strapped into their seatbelts as they were being rescued.
Mr Andrews said the responsibility rested with bus passengers to wear their seatbelts and changing the onus to drivers could lead to practical issues.
“The bus wouldn’t go very far. They’d have to stop (for) every new passenger that came on,” he said.
Truck driver Jamie Gleeson, 49, from Balliang East, was bailed after facing Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday evening charged with four counts of dangerous driving causing serious injury.
“Our hearts go out to everyone involved, especially the children and their families,” truck operator L & J Cartage said in a statement.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened at what has happened.”
Investigators are trying to piece together what caused the collision, with Victoria Police Superintendent Michael Cruse flagging inattention was one line of inquiry.
Eighteen children were taken to the Royal Children’s and Sunshine hospitals after the crash, with seven seriously injured.
The Royal Children’s Hospital received nine patients aged five to 11, including two who were discharged after treatment at the emergency department.
As of Thursday afternoon, seven patients remained in the Royal Children’s, including one in intensive care, and two were left at Sunshine Hospital. All were in a stable condition.
The children sustained multiple and traumatic injuries ranging from partial to complete amputations and crushed limbs to severe lacerations to their heads and bodies.
Two were due to go into surgery as of Wednesday afternoon.
Four of the more seriously injured will require further surgeries.
Several students were trapped inside the tipped-over bus before witnesses and emergency workers pulled them free, triaging them and treating some at the scene.
Tradesman Dean Eastway, who helped free some of the children, described finding students screaming and pinned down.
Supt Cruse said passers-by who stopped to help were heroic and their actions potentially prevented further injuries.
“At the time that the bus overturned, I understand that there was diesel leaking from the bus,” he said.
Gleeson, a truck driver for more than 20 years, told police he noticed flashes of sunlight coming through the trees before the crash, the court heard on Wednesday.
He said he hit the brakes after seeing the brake lights on the bus in front of him, but suggested he didn’t have enough time to swerve before hitting the back.
A GoFundMe page set up by the school on Wednesday to help pay for the injured children’s rehabilitation has raised almost $10,000 so far.
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
Australian Associated Press