Elderly driver hailed a hero amid fatal bus tragedy
An elderly driver has been hailed a hero for saving lives after getting caught up in a horror crash between a Greyhound bus and a car towing a caravan.
The accident left three women dead and 27 other passengers injured, after the coach allegedly veered onto the opposite side of the Bruce Highway at Gumlu, in north Queensland at around 11am on Sunday.
The coach was travelling between Brisbane and Townsville, with 33 people onboard when it collided with a caravan towed by a 4WD.
The elderly couple, who were in the 4WD were miraculously not injured.
Witnesses have praised the elderly male driver for his quick-thinking skills, when he drove his vehicle out of the way of the oncoming bus - which saved the lives of people driving behind him.
"He was a hero for his actions," Janice Beavis told the Daily Mail.
“They [the elderly couple] were behaving safely. The bus hit the van, the driver [of the 4WD] was trying to get away.
“He saved himself and his wife and the mum and three girls travelling behind him.”
56-year-old Townsville woman, Emma ‘Alli’ Sailor, and two German women aged in their 20s and 30s sadly passed away in the crash.
Four people remain in hospital, including two men in their 20s who are fighting for their lives, and two other men, aged 27 and 51, who are in stable conditions.
The bus was reportedly running behind schedule, leaving Rockhampton at 2am instead of the planned departure time at 12:45.
The speed limit at the section of the highway where the accident occurred was 100km/h.
Detectives are investigating whether fatigue could have played a role in the crash.
“We haven’t determined any factors that have contributed to the crash at this stage, but certainly a crash of this nature, involving this many people, is a very significant, very tragic incident for us,” Police Superintendent Graeme Paine said at a press conference on Sunday.
Anyone who may have seen the crash or have dashcam footage have been urged to contact police.
On Monday morning, Police Superintendent Paine said that more witnesses will be interviewed to determine the cause of the crash.
“We’ve collected a significant amount of evidence from the scene,” he said.
“As we process that evidence and interview further witnesses, we anticipate getting a clearer picture of exactly how it occurred."
Image: news.com.au