Bus company fined $650k over deadly Greta crash

Grief laid bare as bus company and directors sentenced over deadly Greta crash In short: Linq Buslines and its two directors, Christopher Fogg and Anthony Royle, have been fined for heavy vehicle safety breaches. The offending related to the hiring of the driver involved in the Greta bus crash, who is now serving a maximum of 32 years in prison. Linq Buslines is no longer trading after Transport for NSW bus contracts were not renewed. Families and survivors of a bus crash which claimed 10 lives have described the lasting impacts of the tragedy as the bus company was fined $650,000 for employing a drug-impaired driver. Brett Andrew Button, 61, is serving a maximum of 32 years in jail for the Greta bus crash in 2023. Separately, Linq Buslines and its directors Christopher Fogg and Anthony Royle have pleaded guilty to charges brought by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. They admitted to failing in their duty of care in relation to risks linked to overspeeding, fatigue and the employment of drug-impaired drivers. Sentencing proceedings have been held in Gosford Local Court this week. Judge Kirralee Perry today said "no amount would take away the pain" of families affected. She agreed with prosecutor Georgia Lewer that Linq Buslines recruited a man who put the community at risk. "The offender [Linq Buslines] recruited a man [Brett Button] who had been stood down from a previous employer with an opioid dependency and posed a significant risk,"Judge Perry said. The court heard the only reference check was by text message, with a former boss calling Button a "good bloke". The text message exchange also described bus drivers as "steering wheel attendants", a term that drew the ire of Judge Perry. "It is flippant at best and it is wholly inappropriate in terms as being used as a way to provide a reference check for somebody who is going to be put in charge of driving a heavy vehicle," she said. She fined Linq Buslines a total of $650,000. Directors Mr Fogg and Mr Royle faced a maximum fine of $59,000 for their offence related to overspeeding. Judge Perry said the offending related to seven drivers who oversped on 12 occasions. "The company and directors fell short in ensuring they complied with their duty," she said. The judge fined Mr Royle and Mr Royle $12,000 each and said the offending was at the "lower end" of the range. She declined a request not to record a conviction for both men. She said Mr Royle was "in shock and overwhelmed with sorrow and so gutted by the incident". The judge said Mr Fogg had also shown remorse. "He has had a strong stress response to the crash and subsequently over the past three years he has been preoccupied by the sheer scale of the loss of life," she said. Judge Perry expressed her sympathies to families affected by the "devastating crash" throughout proceedings. Linq Buslines is no longer trading after bus contracts were not renewed and accreditation was terminated in March. Victims speak Families and survivors of the crash delivered emotional victim impact statements in court today. Sharyn Junkeer suffered horrific injuries in the crash and travelled to Gosford from Melbourne to deliver her statement. "It looks like a shark has taken a bite out of my thigh and hip, leaving me with a hideous disfigurement," she said. Ms Junkeer choked back tears describing the impact of the crash in which she had previously said she thought she would die. "Every day I have to live with the knowledge that I survived this tragedy while so many others did not,"Ms Junkeer said. Her husband Jason Junkeer also gave a statement and paused at times while delivering it. "It's been three years now and I have not got better," he said. "I still live with chronic pain, a brain injury, PTSD and depression." Family travel to deliver statements Matt and Leanne Mullen travelled to Gosford Courthouse from Singleton to deliver their addresses, both describing crippling grief. Their daughter Rebecca, a young doctor, died that night at Greta, along with nine others. "The impact on the family is that has broken me," Mr Mullen said. "I can still see the bus on its side. I wake up to it often at night." He told the court he was glad Mr and Mrs Junkeer, who he previously did not know, survived the crash. Mrs Mullen spoke of the daily impact losing a daughter has had on her life. "That night has changed my daily interactions with my community," she said. "Life is no longer simple or carefree in the community that I love."