Hunter Valley bus driver had 27 complaints, history of opioid abuse before deadly crash, review finds

A damning independent investigation into the 2023 Hunter Valley bus crash that killed 10 people has uncovered a series of systemic failures that allowed a dangerous driver to remain behind the wheel.

The three-year inquiry revealed driver Brett Button had dozens of complaints and a history of heavy opioid use before the crash that claimed the lives of 10 wedding guests in Greta, sparking urgent calls for major industry reform.

Button is serving a 32-year jail term for causing the fatal crash after a court ruled he was driving too fast and under the influence of the opioid painkiller Tramadol before his bus tipped.

Office of Transport Investigations chief investigator Jim Modrouvanos said there were multiple systemic failures in the lead up to the fatal crash.

“The driver should not have been behind the wheel that night, given a history of likely misuse of the opioid prescription painkiller tramadol, including likely impairment at the time of the crash,” he said.

“The applicable system of driver health oversight and standard drug testing did not appropriately identify this issue or escalate it to the driver licensing authority.”

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The final moments of the collision were mapped out in a reconstructive simulation as part of the investigation to help figure out what happened in the lead-up to the fatal crash.

According to investigators, the lethal collision that injured a further 25 people was preventable.

“The investigation identified gaps in systems that did not prevent the driver being behind the wheel, and once the rollover occurred, did not offer sufficient protection to passengers from injury and death,” Modrouvanos said.

The 300-page report revealed driver Brett Button had accumulated 27 driving complaints and 11 traffic incidents while working for his previous employer, CDC NSW, between 2016 and 2022.

The allegations ranged from dangerous driving and vehicle crashes to teaching children on school buses to swear.

He was eventually let go in 2022 after a workers’ compensation claim exposed concerningly high opioid levels, but he never stopped using prescription drugs or driving.

After being let go by CDC, Button applied to join Linq Buslines, who he was working for at the time of the 2023 crash.

When management there asked his former employer for a reference, 9News understands CDC NSW failed to warn them about his dangerous driving history or his termination for drug abuse, instead providing a verbal recommendation.

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The report from the long-running investigation includes 41 recommendations, including the creation of a dedicated Bus Safety Regulator, stricter driver medical assessments, and mandatory sharing of complaints between transport operators.

The NSW government says it has already accepted 34 of those recommendations in principle.