Teachers raised concerns about the Hunter Valley bus driver days before the horror wedding night tragedy, it has emerged.
Brett Button has been charged with ten counts of dangerous driving causing death over the bus crash that killed ten passengers.
Just last week he had transported primary students on a school trip from Green Point Christian College on a 500km roundtrip to Bathurst.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that after returning to the NSW Central Coast, teachers reported the bus driver to the school.
The school’s principal Phillip Nash sent a letter to parents this week after becoming aware of the connection to the Hunter Valley crash.
“It has come to our attention that the driver of the Hunter Valley accident was also one of the drivers who took our Year 5 students to Bathurst last week,” Mr Nash wrote.
“On the trip to Bathurst our teachers raised concerns about the driver and reported them at the end of the trip as per our usual procedures.
“We ask staff to report anything of concern … Their concerns were not such that they felt they needed to contact us on the trip.”
Mr Nash said the school had since written to the bus company to express its concerns and was forwarding a letter to police investigators.
Brett Button, 58, was behind the wheel of the bus carrying 35 wedding guests when it flipped and smashed on Sunday night.
He faced court on Tuesday and was granted bail by Magistrate Robyn Richardson who expressed concerns for his wellbeing.
The magistrate said passenger statements about Button’s behaviour in the lead up to the crash made for a strong prosecution case, but his family ties and bail conditions reduced the risk of absconding or witness tampering.
Button is accused of driving dangerously fast in thick fog and telling passengers to “fasten your seatbelts” moments before losing control at a roundabout and smashing into a guard rail before the bus tipped and crashed.
The magistrate said Button was clearly suffering along with the rest of the community.
His case returns to court in August.
-with AAP
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