But he denies driving dangerously in the lead-up to the crash where seven primary school students were seriously hurt.

A later assessment of the truck found its brakes were faulty although Gleeson was not aware of the issues and the truck had been regularly serviced. 

At the time of the collision, Gleeson was free from any drugs or alcohol, and there is no indication that he was speeding or using his phone immediately prior to the accident.

However, prosecutor Neill Hutton SC argued to the jury that Gleeson either did not keep an appropriate distance from the school bus or was not adequately attentive to its movements.

Anderson pointed to his client’s record of interview with police immediately after the collision, where Gleeson answered more than 700 questions. 

Gleeson maintained he did not see the brake lights or indicator of the bus until the last second, Anderson said.

“(He) told the police, ‘It was like the bus had forgotten to turn’,” the barrister told the jury.

It was disputed that Gleeson did not keep an appropriate distance from the bus or that he was not paying sufficient attention, Anderson told the jury. 

He urged the jurors to consider what the prosecution could not prove and what they still did not know about the lead-up to the collision. 

After the opening addresses concluded, bus driver Graham Stanley began his evidence and described the moment of impact.

“It launched the bus forward in a rapid motion,” Stanley told the jury.

“It just felt extreme – it wasn’t a fender bender.”

Stanley admitted he could not recall whether he was wearing a seatbelt, although he was confident all of the students were wearing one.

His evidence will continue on Thursday.