Groom on way to wedding trapped for 45 minutes after minibus rolls

A groom on his way to his wedding is one of two people seriously injured after a minibus transporting guests to a Hunter Valley venue crashed 50 metres down an embankment.

The 56-year-old man was trapped for 45 minutes inside the vehicle, which had been taking five members of the groom’s party to the wedding, when it veered off the dirt road and rolled seven times on Wednesday morning.

Rescuers at the crash site on Mount View Road.Credit: Nine News

He was transported by air to John Hunter Hospital with critical head injuries. Another man in his 50s suffered serious limb injuries was also airlifted from the scene, while four other men, including the driver, were taken to hospital by road with minor injuries.

The minibus was part of a wedding convoy heading to Bistro Molines on Mount View Road, outside Cessnock. A Volkswagen Kombi van could be seen pulled over near the crash site, with a group of shocked guests standing nearby.

Hunter Valley Police district commander Steve Laksa described the crash as “tragic”, but said “we’re very fortunate that the injuries weren’t fatal”.

“Two of the persons involved are in a critical condition, but receiving the appropriate treatment and care now, but it definitely could have been worse,” he told reporters.

An injured person is loaded in to a helicopter to be transported to hospital.Credit: TNV

“[The minibus] hadn’t actually got to the wedding yet, so I hope they still have a wedding in front of them.”

Laksa said the driver would undergo mandatory blood and alcohol testing, but said there was as yet no indication that was a factor. He said he did not know if the passengers were wearing seatbelts, but said the dirt road and wet weather conditions might have played a part in the crash.

“As you can see, it’s drizzling, [it’s a] dirt road, unsealed road, [which] could have all been factors in the equation, but too early for me to comment on.”

Wedding guests stand on the side of the road after a vehicle transporting attendees went off the road.Credit: TNV

NSW Ambulance superintendent Jake Broughton-Rouse said eleven vehicles and two helicopters arrived within 15 minutes to a “difficult scene”, after emergency services were called to the isolated Mount View Road at about 10.30am.

“It took a multi-agency and really coordinated response to gain access to the vehicle, and it took approximately 45 minutes to cut one of the patients out of the minibus,” he said.

An investigation has been launched by NSW Police’s crash investigation unit, and motorists have been urged to avoid the area. Mount View Road remained closed on Wednesday afternoon.

Nick Abrahim, chief executive of the NSW Taxi Council, speaking on behalf of minibus operator Cessnock Radio Cabs, said the company’s manager attended the scene to provide support to the passengers and driver. Abrahim said the driver had suffered minor injuries to his arm, as well as bruising and scratches to the head.

Abrahim said the minibus was fitted with internal and external cameras, required under NSW transport law. “Our priority is to assist the police and the investigators,” he said.

NSW Minister for the Hunter, Yasmin Catley, said it was “horrific news” and that her thoughts were with everyone involved.

“I want to thank the first responders who are working in challenging conditions to assess and care for the injured.”

The crash comes a little over two years since the 2023 Hunter Valley bus crash killed 10 guests returning from a wedding.

The wedding of Maddy Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney at Wandin Estate winery turned to tragedy when a coach carrying guests rolled over at a roundabout at Greta just before midnight on June 11.

Bus driver Brett Button was in 2024 jailed for more than two decades, but is appealing the length of his sentence. His erratic driving while under the influence of prescription painkillers was found to have caused the fatal crash.

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