Wedding Bus Crash Kills 10, Driver Sentenced to 32 Years in Prison

On June 11, 2023, a wedding bus driver named Brett Andrew Button crashed the vehicle near Greta, New South Wales, killing 10 passengers and injuring 25 others. The tragic incident occurred as the guests were returning from a wedding reception.

According to the authorities, Button had taken significantly more than the recommended dose of the opioid painkiller Tramadol before the accident. He was also speeding as he approached a roundabout, and witnesses reported that he joked to passengers, "This next part's going to be fun," before accelerating into the turn. The bus then tipped, slid, and struck a guardrail.

The crash left a trail of devastation, with several young couples and a mother-daughter duo among the victims. Two children were also left orphaned. Survivors described the moments before the impact as terrifying, with one saying the "sensation of falling sideways and being completely powerless was terrifying."

Button initially faced 10 counts of manslaughter, but prosecutors later accepted a plea deal that downgraded the charges. He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, nine counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, and 16 counts of driving furiously and causing bodily harm.

In November 2025, a court upheld Button's 32-year prison sentence with a 24-year non-parole period, rejecting his appeal. The judges noted that his conduct had "catastrophic consequences" and that he "knew the drug had the capacity to affect his ability to drive." The impact of the crash was described as "incalculable and ongoing," with families devastated by the loss of their loved ones.