'I wish I had died': Girl reveals suffering after truck crashes into school bus

A young woman has described wishing she had died alternatively of suffering a crippling ft injury, arsenic a truck driver faced court for ploughing into her schoolhouse bus.

"I americium very gladsome I'm alive, but past nary of my pain, aliases my suffering would beryllium here," nan girl, who cannot beryllium identified, told a Melbourne tribunal betwixt tears.

"I'm truthful tired of it and I wish I had died."

The motortruck driver who caused her debilitating injuries did not look nan girl, nor immoderate of his 35 victims successful tribunal today, astatine a County Court pre-sentence hearing.

Brett Michael Russell, 63, appeared by video nexus from prison, crossing his arms and appearing emotionless arsenic he pleaded blameworthy to 12 charges including negligently causing superior injury.

He was driving a premier mover motortruck towing 2 trailers - each of which had defective brakes - from northwest Victoria to Melbourne erstwhile he collided pinch nan Loreto College Ballarat autobus successful 2022.

Russell, prosecutors say, knew each of nan brakes were faulty but drove nan motortruck anyway.

About 3.16am connected September 21, nan motortruck hurled into oncoming postulation and collided pinch nan bus, which had 32 passengers connected committee including 27 schoolhouse students, connected nan Western Freeway.

The group were connected their measurement to Melbourne Airport for nan travel of a life to NASA campy successful nan US.

Russell's motortruck deed nan backmost of nan bus, which had slowed for postulation guidance and was pushed done a roadside barrier, down a steep embankment and past rolled respective times.

Three passengers were ejected from nan autobus and nan remainder were trapped inside, pinch postulation guidance workers rushing to their rescue earlier emergency services arrived.

Russell pleaded blameworthy to 10 counts of negligently causing superior wounded to 7 students, whose ages ranged from 14 to 18, and 3 unit including Suzanne Fraser, 52, and Narelle Mulrooney, 49.

He besides pleaded blameworthy to reckless behaviour related to driving nan B-double motortruck while knowing nan motortruck and trailers' brakes were defective, placing nan autobus driver, Wayne Orr, who is yet to return to full-time work, and 21 different passengers successful threat of superior injury.

Russell further admitted a 12th complaint of reckless behaviour endangering superior wounded relating to 3 roadside workers - Liam Ryan, Brendan Morris and Rodothea Kalisperis.

About 50 group are attending today's hearing, including victims and their loved ones, pinch galore of them owed to publication retired statements connected really nan clang impacted them.

A 15-year-old woman described successful her darkest moments wishing she had died successful nan crash, truthful that she did not person to suffer from utmost symptom successful her limb and ft aft undergoing respective surgeries.

"I don't want a funky-looking leg, I want a normal leg," she told nan court.

"I conscionable want to beryllium for illustration everyone else."

Russell admitted to constabulary erstwhile he was interviewed astir nan clang that he knew location was a consequence successful towing 2 trailers and driving a motortruck pinch defective brakes.

"Yes. And I still took nan risk," he told police, charismatic Jim Shaw told nan court.

Shaw said Russell breached his work of attraction by being criminally negligent and fell greatly short of nan modular of attraction a reasonable personification would person exercised successful continuing to thrust nan truck.

"He knew that he would beryllium driving connected parts of nan roadworthy which had steep descents that would beryllium difficult to navigate pinch brakes that did not work," nan charismatic said.

"He besides knew nan risks to different roadworthy users if he were incapable to extremity nan truck."

The pre-sentence proceeding continues this afternoon.

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