The school bus driver who was killed in a crash in Victoria on Wednesday afternoon has been remembered as a “big-hearted” man who was “much-loved” by the kids he drove. Gary McDonald, 65, was behind the wheel of an Assumption College school bus carrying 32 children when it veered off Wandong Rd, Kilmore and crashed into a tree. McDonald died at the scene while one student was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today The child has since been released. Loved ones paid tribute to the grandfather at the scene of the crash on Thursday, with one family friend describing him as a “big-hearted, beautiful man”. “(He was) loved by all,” Kiera King said.
Ryan Adams, another family friend said: “(He was the) friendliest man you could come across. There’s nothing bad I could say about him”. Police said they believe McDonald suffered a medical episode, however the investigation into the crash is ongoing.
The principal of the catholic co-ed school Paul Finneran said McDonald was “much-loved” by the students who travelled with him every day. “Having spoken to some of the families last night, they were quite upset about the fact that he’d passed away,” he said. “It must be a really sad time.
” Tradie Colby Bartels, who jumped in to help those stuck on the bus, said he found McDonald unconscious. “He wasn’t trapped, he was just unconscious,” he told 7NEWS. Bartels was driving home.
