‘Exceptionally confronting’: Top paramedic recounts heroic efforts to save crash victims

Within seven minutes of the first call about the deadly Hunter Valley bus crash, an ambulance had arrived. Commander Luke Wiseman, who was at the scene within 45 minutes, said it was “exceptionally confronting” and unlike anything he had witnessed.

Nine of the passengers – guests from a wedding earlier on Sunday – were dead, and a 10th person later died in hospital. Some were trapped in the overturned vehicle, and others had suffered amputations, Wiseman said. He did not go into detail out of respect for those involved.

NSW Ambulance Chief Superintendent Luke Wiseman was at the crash scene within 45 minutes.Credit: Nick Moir

“Their traumatic injuries were significant.”

Wiseman, a chief superintendent, said NSW Ambulance were called about 11.30pm to reports a bus had rolled on the Wine Country Drive roundabout near the Hunter Expressway.

The first ambulance arrived within seven minutes, he said, and an off-duty paramedic who came across the incident was rendering assistance.

Wiseman said there were 30 ambulance workers spread across the incident, from supervisors through to crews and rescue, and multiple police and fire units.

“What we found is an exceptionally confronting scene,” he said. “As you can imagine, there were a lot of people that were on the bus with various amounts of injuries.

“What we understand is that it was a group from a wedding … transitioning back to their motels.”

He said emergency services triaged patients, “looking after the most critical through to the walking wounded”, and some were intubated. No children were among those assessed or transported.

Patients with “pretty significant traumatic injuries” were prioritised, and there was a “large group that had minor injuries who also needed transport to hospital”.

Police said 36 people were on the bus and 26 of those, including the 58-year-old driver, were taken to hospital.

An area was also set up for family members of the victims, “so they weren’t brought directly to scene, just due to the nature of the incident”, Wiseman said.

Emergency services managed to partially lift the bus to free victims who were trapped underneath.

One of the first vehicles to arrive was a Fire and Rescue NSW truck, an emergency services source said.

The truck was part of a community first responder program, where firefighters are trained in first aid to provide care before paramedics arrive.

“They actually used their tools to lift the bus up off a person,” the source said. “They used airbags to lift it, and they put timber blocks underneath to lift the bus.”

It is not known if the person who was pulled from under the bus is among those in hospital or if they died from their injuries.

Wiseman said they activated the statewide trauma network. He praised the response of the local health district in facilitating the transport of multiple casualties to four different hospitals.

“The inter-agency approach gave everybody the best opportunity,” he said.

“It was a tremendous response that was delivered, and sadly, for the families that were involved, it’s just a really, really sad and unfortunate outcome.”

NSW Ambulance said five helicopters were initially dispatched, but two landed. One went to John Hunter Hospital, and the other flew south to Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Asked if he had ever been involved in a similar incident, Wiseman simply said: “No.”

He recalled being commander for the 2017 Singleton truck crash, which ploughed into cars and a building, causing a fireball, but said the Greta bus incident was complex and “posed its challenges”.

Audio of an emergency services worker – the arriving duty operations manager – captured the unfolding horror.

“Major incident declared. We have a bus rollover. Multiple patients,” the paramedic is heard saying.

“I need all resources allocated to continue, I am still trying to work out exactly how many patients I have here.”

He reported having identified “seven code fours”, meaning someone who has died; a number of red label patients – in a critical condition – and orange label patients, considered in a serious condition.

“We have one red label patient whose injuries are severe, and unfortunately we are expecting that he is also going to code four,” he said.

As of Monday night, one patient was in a critical but stable condition and eight patients in a stable condition at John Hunter Hospital; two patients were in a stable condition at Maitland Hospital; one patient was in a stable condition at Calvary Mater Newcastle; and two patients were in a stable condition at RPA, according to NSW Health.

With Christopher Harris and Laura Banks

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