Dubbo bus crash: One man dead and up to 26 people injured as car earlier involved in police chase crashes into a bus and closes major highway
A crash between a bus and car in the NSW Central West has left one man dead and up to 26 people injured.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene on the Mitchell Highway east of Dubbo shortly after 9am on Saturday.
Police confirmed they had earlier tried to stop a Mazda sedan but it sped off, which sparked a short police pursuit. The pursuit was called off but the car crashed into the bus shortly after, killing the 32-year-old driver.
Paramedics at the scene treated 26 bus passengers aged between 10 and 80, with the bus understood to be connected to NSW Trainlink.
Eight bus passengers have been transferred to Dubbo Base Hospital.
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said they were all in a stable condition but were unsure of their injuries at this stage.
A horrific car crash outside Dubbo in NSW has left the claimed the life of one man
None of the passengers in the bus that the car veered into were critically injured, though some have been transferred to hospital
It is understood the gray Mazda sedan hit the bus front-on and then flipped, ending up on it’s roof on the asphalt, the front half of the car destroyed.
NSW Police said officers patrolling the highway activated lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
‘When it failed to stop as directed a pursuit was initiated before being terminated due to safety concerns.’
Shortly after the car hit a bus on the Mitchell Highway, approximately one kilometre east of the intersection of Mitchell Highway and Eulomogo Road, Dubbo, police said.
Emergency crews and investigators are on site and expected to remain well into Saturday afternoon
Traffic is blocked either side of the site of the crash near Dubbo in the NSW Central West
The Crash Investigation Unit is examining the cordoned off area and a critical incident team from Chifley Police District will investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The investigation will be subject to an independent review, and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.
The Mitchell Highway is expected to be closed for several hours in both directions, and motorists are urged to avoid the area.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
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