The driver of the deadly Hunter Valley bus crash in New South Wales has been unmasked as an opioid addict who took up to 40 pills a week and took strong painkillers before the tragedy.
Brett Andrew Button, 59, pleaded guilty Wednesday to 10 counts of dangerous driving causing death, nine counts of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and 16 counts of furious driving causing bodily harm in he June 2023 success.
The father of one of his victims cried in court when it was confirmed that Button would escape manslaughter charges as part of his guilty plea to lesser charges.
It has since been revealed that Button had an opioid addiction that worried his doctors and previous employers, and there is no record of him telling his former employer about his dependence.
Police documents seen by him Sydney Morning Herald They allegedly reveal that Button suffered a workplace accident in the 1990s.
In the decades since, he reportedly developed dependence on the strong painkiller Tramadol, and by mid-2022 he was taking up to 40 tablets a week and 10 Panadeine Forte pills a day.
Brett Andrew Button was flanked by family and friends when he appeared at Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday.
Shortly afterwards he was removed from his position as a bus driver, which infuriated him.
Around the same time, a state employment application counselor reported that he “cannot work as a bus driver without being able to take an adequate pain reliever.”
But Button was desperate to return to work and so began reducing his doses, the documents stated.
However, in September 2022, a pain specialist suggested that even reducing the dose might not be enough, writing that she “would be surprised if labor regulations allowed employees to drive on public transportation while using opioid pain relievers.”
Button’s doctors also wanted to drastically reduce his dose of tramadol from 250 milligrams to 100 milligrams per day.
But Button said he couldn’t work without painkillers.
He quit his job at the end of 2022 and worked for another bus company before joining Linq Buslines, the company he was driving for at the time of the accident.
There is reportedly no record of Button warning Linq about his drug problems.
It has now been revealed that Brett Button had an opioid addiction that worried his doctors and previous employers, and there is no record of him telling his former employer about his dependence.
The victims’ families sobbed in court Wednesday after it was confirmed that Brett Button would escape involuntary manslaughter charges as part of his guilty plea to lesser charges. Pictured is Rebecca Mullen’s mother Leanne leaving court.
Seven months later, on June 11 last year, he was behind the wheel when the bus overturned at a roundabout outside the town of Greta, killing 10 people and injuring 25 others.
A blood sample, taken hours later, found that he had likely ingested 400 milligrams of tramadol in the previous 24 hours.
Prosecutors concluded that his drug use would have affected his ability to drive.
Mother and daughter Nadene and Kyah McBride, Kyah’s boyfriend Kane Symons, husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott, Zach Bray, Angus Craig, Darcy Bulman, Tori Cowburn and Rebecca Mullen died on impact.
Prosecutors concluded that his drug use would have affected his ability to drive.
Immediately following the statements, the Crown prosecutor made an application for Button to be remanded in custody pending sentencing.
The detention request was met with “no resistance” from Button’s lawyer, Chris O’Brien, who asked that his client’s medical problems be taken into account during his time behind bars.
The bus was transporting the couple’s wedding guests back to their accommodation at the time of the horrific accident.
Ten wedding guests died in the accident. Among them were Rebecca Mullen, Zach Bray Angus Craig, Tori Cowburn, Nadene and Kyah McBride, Kane Symons, Andrew and Lynan Scott and Darcy Bulman.
The victims’ families packed the courtroom Wednesday and were emotional as the 89 charges against Button were read.
When the manslaughter charge related to Mrs. Mullen’s death was dismissed, her father Matt began sobbing loudly and visibly reacted.
Outside court, Mullen told reporters that he had not slept at all the previous night in anticipation of the Crown’s public announcement that it would drop the charges.
Despite his pain, Mullen managed to feel compassion for other people affected by the fatal accident.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with the driver’s family,” he said outside court before Button pleaded guilty to the fatal crash.
Rebecca’s mother Leanne said she disapproved of the Crown’s decision but it was just a small fraction of the pain she felt at the loss of her daughter.
He said he would wait to see what happened at Button’s sentencing.
Button appeared anxious and was flanked by a crowd of around a dozen supporters as he entered Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday wearing a black suit and an open white shirt with no tie.
He said nothing to a large group of waiting media.
He was not required to plead guilty to additional charges, including careless driving causing death.
A further 25 charges of bodily harm by misconduct were dropped.
Bride and groom Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell at a public memorial to those affected by the bus accident.
The bus flipped on its side after Button lost control while transporting guests to the wedding.
Button lost control of a bus carrying wedding guests while driving from Wandin Valley Estate to Singleton at around 11.30pm on June 11.
The bus overturned on its side after hitting a guardrail.
Button previously apologized for the incident, telling reporters outside court in March that he was “devastated by what happened” and was “truly and deeply sorry.”
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has declined to comment on why the manslaughter charges were dropped.
Button had been on bail after initially being granted release due to mental health and wellbeing concerns should he remain in custody.
Families denounce “betrayal”
Mullen had previously asked the Director of Public Prosecutions not to drop the manslaughter charges.
“I begged them, we’re still waiting on the process hoping they’ll reconsider,” Mr. Mullen said. 7News.
“It’s a tattoo on our heart that we’re going to have to carry for the rest of our lives forever.”
His wife Leanne said the news of the reduced charges, which the families were told just 36 hours before Button’s hearing, had been devastating.
“As a mother, being able to hug her while she was still warm, hold her hand, kiss her on the forehead and tell her the things I needed to say that were denied to me because it was a crime scene,” she said.
“But now it seems to me that those sacrifices I made as a mother were not respected.”
Montana Bray, whose brother Zach Bray, 30, died in the crash, said the news hit her hard.
“I feel disrespected and I feel like they’re trying to do things quickly and quietly,” he said.
“The 10 people who died on that bus deserve more than this.”
The death toll of 10 was the highest in a road accident since 12 people died in a bus rollover in Brisbane in 1994.
Button returns to court on May 30 when his sentencing date will be set.
Rebecca Mullen’s mother Leanne said she disapproved of the Crown’s decision but it was only a small fraction of the pain she felt at the loss of her daughter.
Brett Button (pictured) was taking up to 40 pills a week and taking strong painkillers before the Hunter Valley bus tragedy.
