Truckie charged with driving offenses in 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 series of serious traffic offences.

Several teachers and 27 students from Loreto College in Ballarat were on their way to Melbourne Airport around 3.15am on September 21 to travel to a NASA space camp in the United States when their bus was allegedly hit by the truck and pushed off the Road near Bacchus Marsh.

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

Witnesses at the time said some girls were stuck in their seats while other students helped with the rescue. A girl also reportedly suffered a partial amputation during the accident.

Images from the aftermath of the accident show the bus lying on the side of the grass with windows shattered and luggage strewn around it. A semi-truck with a smashed windshield and cab can be seen on the road.

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The 60-year-old lorry driver, a Croydon man, was also injured in the accident and was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for treatment.

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

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