Loreto College teacher breaks down in courtroom as he describes nightmares and hears voices after horrific school bus accident

A teacher broke down in tears in court and described hearing children’s voices in flashbacks after a horrific school bus crash injured dozens of pupils.

Truck driver Brett Russell, 61, will stand trial accused of crashing into a Loreto College school bus while en route to the airport for a NASA space camp on September 21, 2022.

The school bus rolled down an embankment on the Western Highway near Pentland Hills, west of Melbourne, and the bus driver, 31 students and teachers suffered injuries.

Russell was charged with 80 offences, including dangerous driving causing serious injury and reckless conduct endangering life, after he allegedly rear-ended the Loreto College Ballarat bus.

On Tuesday, Loreto College teacher Scott Antonio gave evidence remotely from Ballarat after suffering soft tissue injuries to his neck and back, and psychological injuries in the crash.

He collapsed and began crying as he described “constantly hearing voices” from students, after attorney John Lavery asked him to explain whether his nightmares and flashbacks were related to the collision.

“Mr. Antonio, Mr. Antonio… they are not on the bus, we can’t find them all,” he told the court, describing the voices.

“What I see is… they’re dead.” No one died in the accident.

Mr. Antonio was excused from testifying because he was “visibly and uncontrollably upset.”

The bus was headed to Melbourne Airport to take schoolchildren on the trip of a lifetime to NASA space camp in the United States.

Russell is accused of ignoring signs that his B-double truck, which was pulling two trailers, had lost braking power before the accident, around 3.16am on September 21.

Russell’s attorney questioned some of the doctors and psychologists who treated the passengers about the severity of their physical and mental injuries during hearings this week.

Russell pleaded not guilty to all 80 charges.

He will be tried in the County Court.

The truck driver, who remains free on bail, will appear in court on April 8.