A truck driver charged over a horror bus smash that left several children severely injured and some requiring amputations, claims his vision was affected by the sun, as his distraught family speak out.
Jamie Gleeson, 49, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday afternoon via video from the cells at Sunshine Police Station, still wearing an orange high-vis shirt.
The police prosecutor told the court Mr Gleeson recounted seeing ‘sun flickers’ from through trees which he knew could distort his vision.
He allegedly told police he would usually react by slowing down, but on this occasion he didn’t and by the time he saw the bus brake it was too late.
Mr Gleeson’s large truck and trailer allegedly slammed into a coach carrying the primary school children at Eynesbury in Melbourne’s west on Tuesday afternoon.
His mother told Daily Mail Australia her family was distraught about the shocking accident.
‘We’re all pretty upset about it,’ Chris Gleeson said. ‘We are feeling for the families of the children as well.’
Gleeson was driving an ACT-registered truck and trailer when it allegedly crashed into the back of an Exford Primary School bus carrying 46 kids at about 3.40pm on Tuesday.
Ten children aged five to 11 suffered traumatic or serious injuries, one of them with catastrophic consequences, while Gleeson sustained minor injuries and is in police custody.
Truck driver Jamie Gleeson, 49, (above) has been charged following the catastrophic bus crash which injured schoolchildren, one requiring surgery to amputate a limb
Students from Exford Primary School were going home when a truck hit the school bus from behind at Eynesbury, 44km west of the Melbourne CBD
Nine children were seriously injured in the crash, with eight sustaining life threatening injuries and two requiring limbs to be amputated.
The court heard Gleeson returned negative results to both alcohol and drugs and co-operated with police upon his arrest.
Police have charged Gleeson four counts of dangerous driving cause serious injury and are investigating whether he was paying attention behind the wheel.
The experienced truck driver who has been behind the wheel for 18 years could be heard sighing throughout his court appearance.
Bail was granted after it was revealed it will take police a whopping 16 weeks to compile its brief of evidence, with Gleeson not expected to return to court until October.
His lawyer, Ms Edwards, told the court there was ‘no allegation he tried to abscond or minimise his involvement’ and that he helped to pull children from the wreckage.
The father of two boys is a car and sport shooting enthusiast and longtime truck driver from Balliang East near Bacchus Marsh west of Melbourne.
Gleeson is the son of legendary Victorian horse trotting driver and trainer, Ginger Gleeson.
Victoria Police Superintendent Michael Cruse said this afternoon that he expected the truck driver to be hit with additional charges, but didn’t specify what they were.
Supt Cruse said many of the passer-bys and teachers who responded to the ‘confronting’ scene would have known the students involved.
‘The bus driver, despite being injured, I understand that he helped some of the children out of the bus,’ Mr Cruse told a press conference.
‘Then we had passers-by who have heroically stopped immediately and assisted in assisting the children who could be removed from the bus.
‘It was chaotic. It would have been very confronting for those passersby.’
Police are investigating the cause of the crash, including ‘inattention’ and whether the the truck driver had been speeding
The horror crash left several children severely injured, with some requiring amputations
Supt Cruse said ‘inattention’ was something police were actively investigating as well as if the truck driver had been speeding.
He said the school bus was fitted with seatbelts, but that he was unaware if the children had been wearing them.
Eight were described as seriously injured, while 30 were ‘walking wounded’.
Supt Cruse said some children had suffered ‘really life-changing injuries’.
Exford Primary School Principal Lisa Campo said she had initially thought the students had been in a minor crash.
Ms Campo said she and the majority of teaching staff rushed to the scene of the crash after receiving a call from a community member as they were set to sit down for a meeting.
‘They said the bus has been in an accident … I said ‘got to go’ and they all followed me down,’ Ms Campo said.
‘I didn’t know what I was going to see; I honestly thought we’d be there comforting some distressed kids who had been in a minor collision … I didn’t ever expect to see that and hope I never see that again.
‘Myself, the assistant principal and our staff wrapped our arms around the kids. I know that we’re not supposed to have kids but that is they needed,’ she said.
Major Collision Investigation Unit Senior Sergeant Paul Lineham claimed the bus had been trying to turn right onto another road when it was hit from behind by the truck.
‘That may have lessened the actual impact of the truck itself,’ Lineham told 3AW.
‘We don’t use the term ‘lucky’ because obviously, there’s an incredibly unfortunate set of circumstances, but this had the potential to have multiple fatalities.’
Gleeson is a longtime truck driver from Balliang East near Bacchus Marsh west of Melbourne
Victoria Police Superintendent Michael Cruse and Exford Primary School Principal Lisa Campo addressed the media outside the school on Wednesday
Children were trapped inside the bus before witnesses and emergency workers pulled them from the wreckage and took them to hospital
A Code Brown, an emergency response for hospitals anticipating mass causalities, was declared after the accident.
Specialist doctors were called in to perform emergency surgeries at the Royal Children’s Hospital after seven children were admitted and two discharged.
Several were treated for ‘degloving’ injuries which occurs when the top layers of skin are torn away from the underlying muscle, tissue or bone.
Students from Exford Primary School had been on their way home when a truck hit the school bus from behind.
Children were trapped inside the bus before witnesses and emergency workers were able to pull them from the wreckage and give assistance.
Parents faced an anxious wait overnight before finally being reunited with their children early Wednesday morning.
The seven children are still in a serious condition, with four undergoing surgery overnight, one in intensive care and another two going into theatre on Wednesday.
Bernadette McDonald, chief executive at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, said so far one child has had a complete limb amputation due to their injuries.
The truck and school bus collided on the corner of Exford and Murphys Road at Eynesbury, about 44km west of Melbourne’s CBD
‘The children have suffered multiple and traumatic injuries including partial and complete amputations of arms, multiple crushed limb injuries, severe lacerations to head and body, head injuries and glass shard injuries,’ Ms McDonald told reporters.
‘Three patients are currently receiving spinal support and being monitored, carefully, in terms of spinal injuries.’
Multiple surgeons are in attendance including the hospital’s own doctors and vascular and specialist microplastic surgeons from Royal Melbourne Hospital.
‘You would understand with these sorts of injuries very small vessels need to be repaired and reattached,’ Ms McDonald said.
Many of the children will need to undergo multiple surgeries in the coming days and weeks and long-term rehabilitation therapy is likely.
Ms McDonald said the situation was very traumatic.
‘We have some very traumatised families and children in our hospital at the moment. We’re working extremely hard to provide that trauma support and care that they will need not just now but in the coming weeks and months,’ she said.
Counsellors are going to Exford Primary School to help students process the tragedy.
Premier Daniel Andrews said he had been in contact with the school’s principal Lisa Campo.
‘The reason I called Lisa last night and again this morning was just to make sure that she knew and understood that ‘whatever you ask for… the answer will be yes. We’re there for you’,’ he told reporters.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the crash was horrific.
‘My heart goes out to them and to their families at what must be an extraordinarily difficult time,’ he told reporters.
Mr Gleeson was granted bail by Magistrate Andrew McKenna and will return to court on October 18.
He cannot leave Victoria or drive a heavy vehicle while on bail.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk