- Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.
- Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story may contain images of deceased persons.
HARROWING stories of survival, sleepless nights and relentless suffering have given insight into what wedding guests on the "bus from hell" went through when it crashed near Greta.
Dozens of loved ones and family members of the 10 victims supported each other as they walked into Newcastle District Court on Tuesday for the second day of Brett Andrew Button's lengthy sentencing hearing.
One by one, grieving family members, survivors and the injured tried to put into words the gravity of their losses in powerful victim impact statements.
One passenger, a man the Newcastle Herald has chosen not to name, said he found it extremely offensive that Button had been sitting through the statements with his head bowed.
"He has not looked at one person while they were speaking," he said.
The man took aim at the 59-year-old bus driver as he detailed the extent of his trauma and injuries.
"I have recurring nightmares, a dark reminder of you," he said.
He told Button he woke from his sleep thinking he was "trapped in your bus of hell".
He gave a graphic description of the horrific scene he was confronted with in the aftermath of the coach rollover on Wine Country Drive on the night of June 11 last year, which killed 10 and injured 25.
"The accident has ruined my life," he said.
"I can't go anywhere and think I will get home safely."
A woman who suffered grievous injuries in the crash told the court she thought she was going to die.
"The feeling of falling sideways and being completely powerless was terrifying," she said.
"I feel like surviving this tragic event is nothing short of a miracle.
"Every day I have to live with the knowledge that I survived this tragedy while others did not, it makes no sense, and is so incredibly unfair."
The woman was rushed to hospital, where she spent seven weeks and underwent surgeries, and was left with lifelong scars.
She said there were systematic failures on multiple levels that allowed Button to make the decisions that he did that night.
A statement of agreed facts revealed Button was affected by the opioid painkillers he was dependent on, speeding and showing off, and ignored pleas from passengers to slow down.
The woman's husband said in his victim impact statement that he told his wife, "gee, feels like he's coming in hot" as Button approached the roundabout, moments before tragedy struck.
"The memories of that night are forever seared into my mind," he said.
Button had been transporting wedding guests on a charter coach from Wandin Estate to the newlywed couple's Hunter Valley hometown.
"It was meant to be a day we would cherish forever, however, the day took a devastating turn when we boarded the bus to head back to Singleton," another grievously injured man said.
"The next moments were chaotic and terrifying as I tried to help get people out of the bus."
The man described his horrific injuries and recovery, waking up alone and scared in hospital, and the toll the past 15 months had taken.
"There is not a day where I do not think of what I saw inside the bus ... this is a weight I carry every day, a weight I carry for the rest of my life," he said.
The 35 wedding guests that were on board the bus that night were doing everything right.
Zachary Bray and nine of his friends died in the crash, and his mother Jacqui Varasdi tearfully delivered a victim impact statement in court on Tuesday, a picture of her son on display next to her.
"Zach was someone who worked hard and played hard, but he was sensible and responsible," she said.
"He and his friends did what were were all told to do - have a plan B.
"My son did that did everything right, still didn't make it home."
Zach was a 29-year-old mining engineer and recreational pilot, who dreamed of becoming a dad. He survived a stage three bowel cancer diagnosis at 25 years old and became an advocate for early detection.
"It's heartbreaking to think he can no longer continue his life-saving mission," Ms Varasdi said.
Kane Symons was the youngest victim of the Greta bus tragedy at just 21.
His father Steve said Kane lived life to the fullest after a brush with death when he was struck in the head by a golf ball at age 11.
"Kane's story is one of resilience, determination and boundless potential," Mr Symons said on behalf of his family.
"He lived with an acute awareness of how precious life is, embracing every moment with vigour and enthusiasm."
Kane was charismatic, a born leader, avid AFL player and champion surf life saver.
He was killed alongside his partner Kyah McBride and her mother Nadene.
Helen Arthur spoke in her victim impact statement of the indescribable pain of losing her sister Nadene, niece Kyah, and Kane.
"On that day, my whole world shattered," she said.
"I feel like my life will be sad and overwhelming until the day I die."
The day before, husband and father Graham McBride, who was also seriously injured, said there were three empty seats at his dinner table.
"My girls were my life, without my girls, I don't have a life anymore, the most precious things in my life have been stripped from me in a crash that was completely avoidable," he said.
Kay Welsh, the mother of 29-year-old Singleton Roosterettes AFL team captain Tori Cowburn, remembered her only daughter as a ray of sunshine and a talented sportswoman with a heart full of generosity and compassion.
"To speak of her in the past tense shatters my soul and breaks my heart beyond belief," she said.
The court on Monday heard from the families of husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott, Singleton doctor Rebecca Mullen, Angus Craig, Darcy Bulman, and Nadene and Kyah McBride.
Button has been awaiting sentence behind bars since May, when he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, and a string of other charges.
Some details of the sentencing proceedings cannot be reported for legal reasons.
The hearing will continue on Wednesday when Button is expected to give evidence.
Judge Roy Ellis warned the packed courtroom on Monday that at the end of the estimated three-day hearing, no sentence could bring back the deceased, and the outcome would be about justice, not revenge.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
