In a horrifying collision in NSW’s Central West this morning, a car and a bus carrying 26 passengers collided, resulting in the death of a man and the hospitalisation of seven others.
Assistant Commissioner Rod Smith gave a description of the driver’s unusual actions prior to the collision that claimed his life.
“The vehicle was accelerating, braking, going off the side of the road, and then onto the incorrect side of the road,” added Smith.
Officers are said to have witnessed a Mazda being driven away from the scene while responding to a domestic incident southwest of Dubbo.
The driver from the Mitchell Highway collision was named by police as “being involved in the domestic” altercation.
About nine in the morning, the 32-year-old driver refused to stop when officers tried to pull him over.
After a brief period of time, a chase was “terminated due to safety concerns”.
A kilometre east of the intersection of Mitchell Highway and Eulomogo Road, the crash happened around 9.15 a.m., Smith said, and the police were trying to find another method to stop him before it happened.
“That vehicle then crossed to the other side of the road and collided head on with a bus travelling in the other direction,” said Smith.
“The bus’s 55-year-old driver made an evasive manoeuvre that most likely prevented several deaths.
“We are lucky that nobody else was seriously injured or killed.”
The Mazda’s 32-year-old driver perished in the collision. He hasn’t been formally identified yet.
Seven passengers, ages 12 to 84, were brought to Dubbo Hospital for minor medical attention.
The bus driver was brought to the hospital for required examinations.
Smith said that the police chase was stopped due to the driver’s style of driving rather than their speed.
He stated that it was premature to determine the specifics of the domestic incident.
Police are looking into what caused the crash, Premier Chris Minns revealed.
“There’s been a major traffic incident just outside Dubbo,” Minns stated.
“Crash investigation officers and emergency services personnel are present at the scene. Paramedics have been able to transport patients who required hospitalisation.”
