Truckie charged with driving offences over Loreto College bus crash

A truck driver accused of crashing into the back of a school bus, causing it to roll down a steep embankment on the Western Highway and injuring several students, has been charged with a string of serious driving offences.

Several teachers and 27 students from Loreto College in Ballarat were on their way to Melbourne Airport, to travel to a NASA space camp in the United States, about 3.15am on September 21 when their bus was allegedly rear-ended by the truck and shunted from the road near Bacchus Marsh.

The badly damaged truck and bus after the crash in Bacchus Marsh on September 21 last year.Credit:AAP

The bus rolled down a grassy embankment several times before coming to rest on its side, seriously injuring two teenage girls and leaving five students trapped in the wreckage.

Witnesses at the time said some girls were stuck hanging from their seats, while other students assisted in the rescue. One girl also reportedly suffered a partial amputation during the crash.

Images of the aftermath of the crash show the bus lying on the side of the grass, its windows broken and luggage scattered around it. A double-trailer truck with a smashed windscreen and cabin can be seen on the road.

The 60-year-old truck driver, a man from Croydon, was also injured during the crash and taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital for treatment.

Police on Monday charged the man with 46 offences including reckless conduct causing injury, reckless conduct endangering life and dangerous driving causing serious injury.

He is expected to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday afternoon.

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