A school bus driver says he accurately remembers a crash where seven children were seriously injured, despite revealing new details of the incident for the first time.
Graham Stanley gave the assertions in evidence on Thursday as truck driver Jamie Gleeson stands trial in the Victorian County Court on seven counts of dangerous driving.
It’s alleged Gleeson, 51, failed to maintain a proper distance from the bus or pay sufficient attention before he crashed into the back of the vehicle on May 16, 2023.
He denies the allegations, maintaining he was not driving dangerously.
Seven students were seriously injured in the crash 900m from Exford Primary School, west of Melbourne.
Mr Stanley gave evidence on Wednesday that he began tapping on the brake pedal, activating the retarder system, about 100m before the crash.
When questioned on Thursday by Gleeson’s barrister James Anderson, Mr Stanley accepted he could not be exactly sure when he started to decelerate.
“I have an actual memory of putting my foot on the brake to activate the retarder,“ he told the jury.
“The exact location, it’s hard … I couldn’t pin it.“
He reiterated it was along the section of Exford Road where there was a right-hand turn lane, about 200m from the collision site.
Mr Stanley accepted Wednesday was the first time he had told police, prosecutors or a court that he used the retarder system in the lead-up to the crash.
He told the jury the system was turned on through a switch in the bus dashboard and it was activated once the brake pedal was pressed down.
It would turn off again once the driver’s foot was on the accelerator, he said.
Mr Stanley said he usually drove with the retarder system on and it would help the vehicle slow down more smoothly.
He told the jury he had not mentioned the retarder system prior to the trial because he had not been directly asked about it.
“I’ve only ever been asked when I put the foot on the brake,“ he said in evidence.
“This time I thought I have to elaborate because it wasn’t one solid brake application.“
Mr Stanley denied Mr Anderson’s suggestion he did not apply the retarder system before the crash and instead he was misremembering the incident.
Gleeson told police he did not see the brake lights or indicator of the bus until the last second and it appeared as if the bus had forgotten to turn.
His truck collided into the back of the turning bus, causing the vehicle to spin and roll on its side.
The jury was told the truck skidded for about 25m before the collision and was going 67km/h at the point of impact.
A later assessment of the truck found its brakes were faulty although Gleeson was unaware of the issues and the truck had been regularly serviced.
Gleeson did not have any drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the crash and there was no evidence of speeding or that he used his phone before the collision.
The trial continues.
