On this week’s Australian Story, Sharyn and Jason Junkeer speak publicly for the first time about the Hunter Valley wedding bus crash that left them with serious injuries and claimed ten lives.
Sitting down with the program, the couple and other survivors and bereaved families share their experiences and explain why they’re calling for changes to Australia’s bus safety system.
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Three years ago, a beautiful winter wedding ended in horror when the bus hired to chaperone guests home crashed, killing ten and injuring 25.
Now some of the survivors are speaking for the first time in the hope of making change.
“I don’t want anyone else to go through this,” says Sharyn Junkeer.
“We should be safe when we get on a bus.”
Sharyn and her husband Jason were both seriously injured in the crash. Sharyn had to learn to walk again after breaking her back and pelvis. Jason has a brain injury which affected his ability to work.
“The crash … is like a perfect storm of mistakes”, says Leanne Mullen, mother of 26-year-old Rebecca who died in the crash.
“Agencies, departments … are supposed to work together to prevent such a thing and they don’t seem to be.”
Many were shocked to discover the driver had a long history of opioid use and are pushing for greater scrutiny of driver fitness.
They want to highlight the weak culture around seatbelt use and lack of clear speed limits in roundabouts.
“We’ve got to keep pushing for these people that aren’t around anymore”, vows Jason, “so that it doesn’t happen again.”
