Australian Story: The Road Back follows wedding bus crash survivors – Survivors of a wedding bus crash describe its lasting impact and press for changes that could protect other passengers. The episode airs Monday 19 October at 8pm on ABC and ABC iview.
Three years after the crash, the programme gives survivors and bereaved families room to explain what recovery has meant in practice. Their account moves beyond the collision itself to questions about driver fitness, seatbelts and road safety.
Ten people died and 25 were injured when a bus hired to take guests home from a winter wedding crashed. Sharyn and Jason Junkeer were among those seriously hurt. Sharyn broke her back and pelvis and had to learn to walk again. Jason suffered a brain injury that affected his ability to work.
For the couple, recovery has meant adapting to injuries while seeking answers about how the crash happened. Sharyn says their experience should not be repeated.
We should be safe when we get on a bus.
Sharyn Junkeer
Leanne Mullen’s 26-year-old daughter Rebecca died in the crash. Mullen describes it as a convergence of mistakes and questions whether agencies and departments did enough to prevent such an event.
The families were also shocked to learn of the driver’s history of opioid use. They want closer scrutiny of driver fitness, stronger seatbelt habits and clearer speed limits in roundabouts. The episode brings those concerns together through the experiences of people who continue to live with the consequences.
Jason says the push for change is also for those who cannot speak for themselves. He wants the families to keep pressing for safer travel so that another group of wedding guests does not suffer a similar tragedy.
Australian Story: The Road Back airs Monday 19 October 2026 at 8pm on ABC and ABC iview.
Read more in TV Central’s ABC coverage. Watch Australian Story on ABC iview.
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