Mother’s tearful vow after 14-year-old Cameron Millen killed in fatal bus crash

A mum has broken down in tears as she described the moment she saw her “cheeky” 14-year-old son die after being hit by a bus outside his school.

A mother has broken down in tears as she described the moment she described watching her 14-year-old son die after he was run over by a bus while waiting to be picked up from school.

Cameron Millen had been waiting with a group of other students outside Macarthur Anglican School in Cobbitty at 3pm on February 15 last year when he was fatally struck by a bus.

The bus was being driven by Penina Lopesi, 55, when it mounted the kerb and ploughed into the schoolboy.

Lopesi has pleaded guilty to driving dangerously causing death over the fatal crash, the aftermath of which was described by Cameron’s mother Michelle in Campbelltown District Court on Tuesday.

Cameron Millen, 14, was killed by a bus driven by Penina Lopesi.

She broke down in tears as she recalled arriving at the school and screaming “It’s my son” as she tried to push past first responders to get to the 14-year-old.

“I can see he’s dying from the way his little eyes are staring at the sky,” she recalled in her emotional victim impact statement.

“I need him to know I’m here, he’s not alone.”

Cameron was rushed to Liverpool Hospital with life threatening injuries but he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Ms Millen said her son’s death has left her “in pain all the time” and she has cried every day since her son’s untimely death.

“What do I do with the love I have for him? The unkept promises, the untaken holidays, the conversations I was waiting for him to age to have, the unfulfilled promises,” she asked.

“The gaping hole in my chest is an open wound. It’s not healing.”

Ms Millen said she “will never forgive” Lopesi after her actions had “destroyed (her) family”.

“I cannot forgive someone who chose to stay hidden in their vehicle as my son died, who chose to conceal the truth from police, whose lawyers spoke to the world and suggested the killing was due to a mechanical failure of the bus,” she said through tears.

Michelle Millen (in red) told the court her family has struggled with Cameron’s death. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

Cameron’s father Geoffrey told the court Lopesi had not only “taken Cameron’s life but she’s also taken away my family’s future.”

“Knowing there will be no girlfriends, job interviews, driving lessons, and the hundreds of other moments we would have had with Cameron makes me feel empty and sad,” he said.

“Our house – that was once full of noise – is quiet.”

Mr Millen said he was “angry and lost” and continued to struggle with the loss of his “cheeky” “mini-me”.

“I’m angry that Cameron went to school and never came home,” he said tearfully.

“I’m angry that I’m completely powerless in this proceedings and have no say in what happens next, even though it will have a massive impact on my life.”

There were “no charges” which could adequately address Lopesi’s role in changing the Millen family’s lives forever, Mr Millen told the court.

A crying Lopesi told the court she is unable to sleep because her “brain was still going to the family” of the dead teen.

“I’m stressed. I don’t sleep,” she said through an interpreter.

Geoffrey Millen mourned the loss of his beloved “mini-me”. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

The 55-year-old told the court she had tried to pull the handbrake when the bus careened across the footpath near the school.

“I pulled it up but it went back down,” the driver said tearfully.

“I tried to use the foot brake but I wasn’t aware it was the accelerator I was pushing on.”

Lopesi acknowledged she didn’t sound the horn to warn the students as the bus moved onto the grass.

“I panicked,” she said.

The Crown prosecutor pointed out that she had “taken no remedial action at all” during the crash.

The court was shown video of the inside of the bus when it crashed, jolting the students inside who scrambled to get out.

The footage shows Lopesi place her hand over her mouth after the crash before frantically shaking her head back and forth multiple times.

She agreed with the Crown prosecutor’s suggestions that she hadn’t gotten out of the bus to render assistance or moved to help students inside the bus.

“I was in shock,” the driver said.

Penina Lopesi has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death. Picture: Facebook

The court heard the 55-year-old had been behind the wheel of a bus during another crash two years earlier.

The tires of the bus skidded in wet conditions before the bus crashed into a tree in July 2021, Lopesi explained.

The crown prosecutor noted the bus driver had a number of traffic infringements to her name, including running a red light and using a phone while driving.

Lopesi agreed she had not disclosed the infringements on her application form for a bus driving role at NSW Roads and Maritime Services, but her lawyer pointed out there wasn’t enough space on the form.

When sentencing Lopesi later this year, Judge David Arnott SC will also take into account a back-up charge of negligent driving occasioning death and a related charge of failing to provide her particulars to police.

Originally published as Mother’s tearful vow after 14-year-old Cameron Millen killed in fatal bus crash