Overview
- County Court of Victoria Judge Michael O’Connell sentenced Brett Michael Russell, 63, to 12 years and nine months in prison, with parole eligibility after eight years.
- Russell pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including negligently causing serious injury and conduct endangering persons.
- He crashed his 62-tonne B-double into a Loreto College bus on the Western Highway near Bacchus Marsh on September 21, 2022, after continuing to drive despite known brake faults and warnings.
- The court heard he had depleted his air brakes on a downhill section where a temporary 40 km/h limit was in place due to an earlier incident.
- The collision injured 27 students, four staff and the bus driver and endangered three roadside workers, with injuries including a partial foot amputation and spinal fractures; the group was traveling to Melbourne Airport for a NASA camp.