Family of Hunter Valley crash victim launch lawsuit over horror accident

The father of one of the victims of the Hunter Valley bus tragedy says he is planning to launch a class action against Transport for NSW.

The bus driver Brett Button, 59, was behind the wheel driving guests from a wedding reception when it flipped at a roundabout at Greta, killing 10 people and injuring 25 others, in June last year.

On Wednesday, Button was sentenced by Judge Roy Ellis to 32 years behind bars with a non-parole period of 24 years.

Zach Bray, 29, was among the victims.

His father, Adam Bray, said following a heart-wrenching, three-day long sentence proceedings this week, he was launching a class action.

Mr Bray said he was suing Transport for NSW and the bus operator, Linq Buslines, in the NSW Supreme Court, adding he had waited for Button’s sentence to be handed down before launching the lawsuit.

“That’s targeting Transport for NSW for very poor infrastructure which was a significant contributing factor to the tragedy,” Mr Bray told the ABC.

A Supreme Court spokesperson confirmed the court had on Thursday afternoon received an official notification of lodgement of a lawsuit between Adam Bray and Transport for NSW.

The matter will first come before the court on November 1.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment on any future legal proceedings.

“Transport for NSW continues to offer support to the victims and their families,” the spokesperson said.

The notification of lodgement in the Supreme Court does not list Linq Buslines as a defendant.

The company said it had not received any notifications of a class action.

“We appreciate that this is an extremely difficult and ongoing matter for the families and our sympathy lies with them,” a Linq Buslines spokesperson said.

Victims of Hunter Valley bus crash

Button earlier this year pleaded guilty to 19 charges, including 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and nine counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

The court was told that Button was under the influence of the opioid-based painkiller Tramadol and Judge Ellis said he had “abandoned his responsibility” to his 35 passengers at the time of the crash.

Button had taken “significantly more” than his prescribed dosage of Tramadol, a short-relief and opioid-abused painkiller, on the day of the horrific crash, the court heard.

The court was told Button had been taking Tramadol since the 1990s and had been stood down in 2022 by a previous employer after a pain specialist ruled he was addicted to the painkiller.

Mr Bray said he expected survivors, victim’s families and emergency workers would be part of the class action.

Mr Bray said the lawsuit was “not about revenge” but rather about ensuring the victims and their families received “adequate compensation”.

“That’s people who can’t work, can’t get out of bed. And why should they have to,” Mr Bray told the ABC.

“The CTP system doesn’t adequately compensate them for mental health, for help around home. Not being able to perform in your normal life and get on with it.

“The reason for a civil class action case is to ensure compensation extends to all those people.”