In a significant development for the students who suffered serious injuries in a devastating accident, the principal of Loreto College Ballarat has expressed relief as the truck driver responsible has been sentenced to prison. This marks a pivotal moment for the injured students, allowing them to begin the healing process.

The incident occurred when 27 students from Loreto College were en route to the airport, excitedly anticipating a trip to the United States for a NASA camp. Their journey was abruptly interrupted when Brett Michael Russell’s truck collided with the rear of their school bus.

The collision happened on the Western Freeway, where the bus had slowed down due to congested traffic. The impact was so severe that it forced the bus down a steep embankment around 3:16 a.m. on September 21, 2022.

The bus rolled multiple times, and out of the 32 passengers on board, 10 sustained serious injuries, including spinal fractures and traumatic brain injuries.

Russell, aged 63, confessed to authorities that he was aware of the faulty brakes on both the prime mover and its trailers but believed he could continue driving despite the risk.

Ultimately, Russell pleaded guilty to 12 charges in the Victorian County Court, which included 10 counts of negligently causing serious injury. Today, he was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison, offering a sense of justice to those affected by this tragic event.

He will be eligible for parole after eight years. 

There was silence in the full courtroom as the sentence was delivered, while Russell’s mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged on the video link from prison. 

Loreto principal Michelle Brodrick said it had been a difficult and long process for the students, who have all now finished high school. 

“I’m glad that now our families and our students can move on,” she told reporters outside court.

“They’ve all had some really difficult and hard challenges over that time but I know now that they’re doing their best for whatever comes from now on.”

In sentencing Russell, Judge Michael O’Connell accepted the 63-year-old had been frank with investigators about the defective brakes and had shown profound remorse.

“I am well satisfied that virtually from the outset, you appreciated the wrongfulness of what you had done and the harm you had caused,” the judge said. 

But Judge O’Connell found Russell’s moral culpability was very high because he should have appreciated he was endangering those around him. 

“You knew you were taking a serious risk,” he said.

“Even when your foot brakes failed, you persisted in running that risk as it became more acute.”

The judge noted the suffering of the staff, students, bus driver and bystanders, saying the collision had clearly been a nightmare for all of those involved.

“The breadth and depth of the impact this offending has had on so many victims, their families, friends and the wider community is immense,” he said.

Judge O’Connell accepted their grief and suffering could not be the main factor in sentencing, acknowledging Russell was a man with no prior criminal convictions. 

He did not have drugs and alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, nor was he fatigued. 

The 63-year-old was hurt in the collision and his injuries, alongside his likely deportation back to New Zealand, could make his time in custody more difficult, the judge accepted.

But Judge O’Connell said Russell’s decision to drive with faulty brakes needed to be denounced and others needed to be deterred from committing similar crimes.