Groom's family defends bus driver involved in wedding day crash
The family of a 57-year-old man who was hospitalised after a minibus crashed on the way to his wedding have come out in defence of the driver.
John Barrett was riding with five others to the NSW Hunter Valley region when the minibus rolled seven times down an embankment at Mount View, near Cessnock, on Wednesday morning.
The father of four was rushed to the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle in a critical condition after he was freed from the wreckage.
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John Barrett was injured on his wedding day with fiancee Michelle Murphy. Facebook
His family said that everyone involved in the crash, including Barrett, is "okay".
"While they have sustained various injuries, three have now been discharged and are recovering at home, and the remaining members of the party are now in a general ward together," they said.
"They are in good spirits and supporting each other through recovery."
The driver had some injuries and underwent mandatory blood and alcohol testing.
Barrett's family asked for any negative comments against the driver to stop.
"He is a father and husband who, like the rest of us, has been through a traumatic event," they said.
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Barrett was recently diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Police are continuing to investigate the crash and determine how it happened. Nine
He was just hours away from marrying his fiancée, Michelle Murphy.
The pair were regulars at Bistro Molines, where the reception was scheduled to take place that same day.
"It's a tragic situation, they hadn't actually got to the wedding yet, so they still have a wedding in front of them," NSW Police Superintendent Steve Laksa said on Wednesday.
"We're very fortunate that the injuries weren't fatal. It definitely could've been worse."
It is the second wedding bus crash to happen in the region in the past two years.
In June 2023, 10 people were killed and another 25 were injured when a bus carrying wedding guests crashed in the Hunter region.
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