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The bus was on its way to Melbourne Airport to take the teens on the trip of a lifetime to NASA space camp in the United States.
Russell, 61, is accused of ignoring signs that his B-double truck, towing two trailers, had lost braking capacity before the crash on September 21, 2022.
Thirteen children were taken to hospital after the truck collided with the bus.Credit: Jason South
The school bus rolled down an embankment off the Western Highway near Pentland Hills, north-west of Melbourne, with the bus driver and 31 students and teachers suffering injuries.
Three passengers were ejected from the bus and the rest were trapped in their seat belts, court documents allege.
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On Monday, in court documents released to the media, it was alleged that Russell knew the brakes were not working properly and had reported this to his boss the day before and the morning of the high-speed collision, but continued to drive anyway.
He told police his boss informed him that it would take some time before the parts needed to fix the problem would arrive, so he continued driving the B-double with an A and B trailer because he thought he’d “be alright”.
During this week’s hearings, Russell’s lawyer questioned some of the passengers’ treating physicians and psychologists about the seriousness of their mental and physical injuries.
Russell was asked how he pleaded to all 80 charges and replied: “Not guilty.”
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Gilligan ruled there was sufficient evidence for a jury to convict him at trial and ordered Russell to stand trial in the County Court.
Russell, who remains on bail, will next face court on April 8.
AAP, with Erin Pearson
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