- Readers are advised that this report may contain the names and images of deceased First Nations people.
A father who lost his son in the Greta bus crash is launching a class action against the bus company.
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Adam Bray, whose son Zach was one of 10 killed in the June 11 tragedy, has met with lawyers and is launching legal action against Linq Buslines, Nine News has reported.
Nine reported Mr Bray claims the company failed to meet their obligations under the chain of responsibility laws for heavy vehicle operators.
He plans to meet with families of other victims in the next week.
Mr Bray recently met with NSW Premier Chris Minns, the state's transport minister and the head of NSW buses about his campaign to make seatbelts mandatory on buses.
"I have never shed so many tears with total strangers in my life but the empathy was phenomenal. The commitment was extraordinary," he said.
A website is being created but in the meantime, a Facebook page called Stop Bus Tragedies has been set up so people can sign a petition to improve laws around bus safety.
"If you jump on there, there is a petition to sign. A lot to do, item one is seatbelts with seatbelt monitoring for the driver so everyone is buckled up. We do it on a plane and car, do it on a bus," said Mr Bray.
Mr Bray has been reading through federal law regarding the chain of responsibility for the incident and wants the Director of Public Prosecutions to upgrade some charges to manslaughter.
"The areas in there are actually some of the things we've been talking to (the NSW) government about, in terms of driver training, driver psychometrics - you don't just pop anyone behind the steering wheel of a bus with 37, 57 lives, one life on board," he said.
"It's the bus company. And then, even broader than that, it's the industry," he said.
Mr Bray previously joined two others personally touched by the tragedy in calling for change in the industry.
Mr Bray, member of the Singleton Roosters community and bus crash survivor Alex Tigani, and father of the groom John Gaffney met with the Federal Transport Minister in July to fund a national taskforce on bus safety.
Mr Bray has met with industry representatives in recent weeks and says he was given what he branded excuses.
"It's profit over safety," he added.
The pain of losing his son is still raw.
"The realisation that your life is scarred and will be forever surrounded by trauma and grief is hard," Mr Bray said.
"You think you're going OK and then there are triggers which set you off."
The bus was taking dozens of wedding guests from Wandin Valley Estate to Singleton on June 11 when it crashed on Wine Country Drive.
Nadene and Kyah McBride, Andrew and Lynan Scott, Kane Symons, Rebecca Mullen, Zach Bray, Angus Craig, Tori Cowburn and Darcy Bulman were killed in the tragedy.
The Herald reported on August 9 that more expert evidence was being collected in the bus tragedy court case.
The bus driver, Brett Button, remains before the courts.
- with AAP
IN THE NEWS:
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
