The devastating Hunter Valley bus crash claimed the lives of 10 people and left dozens more injured and traumatised. However, this hasn’t stopped freaks online from trying to use it for their own gain in the form of fake GoFundMe pages.
Alex Tigani, survivor of the crash and deputy editor of local paper Hunter River Times, took to the publication’s Facebook to warn well-meaning people who were looking to donate to victims of the crash.
“After Sunday’s tragedy there are multiple GoFundMe pages which are circulating across social media,” he wrote in a post titled “COMMUNITY ALERT”.
“These are NOT OFFICIAL.
“The official GoFundMe page is currently being set up by the Singleton Roosters AFC. We will share it on our page.”
Comments on the post ranged from outraged to disgusted, as people displayed their shock that anyone would actually be so predatory and opportunistic.
“That’s disgraceful! Our thoughts are with all of you through this mate,” one person wrote.
Another suggested the non-official Hunter Valley bus crash GoFundMes could have been organised by “others associated with other victims”, but conceded that they “couldn’t find any others so [it] appears they may have been taken down”.
News.com.au confirmed it had seen a bunch of other fundraising pages related to the crash that weren’t set up by the Singleton Roosters. However, a GoFundMe spokesman has assured the public that the website’s team is keeping an eye on things.
“We are devastated by the news of the tragic incident in the Hunter Valley,” he said.
“All donations are safely held until the GoFundMe Trust & Safety Team are able to complete their checks to ensure that funds can be transferred safely to the intended beneficiary.
“In the rare case that something isn’t right, our platform is backed by the GoFundMe guarantee, the first and only donor protection guarantee in the industry.”
The crash took place at around 11.30pm on Sunday night after the wedding reception of local couple Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell, who both played with the Singleton Roosters. It resulted in 10 deaths and 25 hospitalisations, with two people still in ICU as of Tuesday morning.
Brett Andrew Button, 58, was driving the bus when it toppled over while turning at a roundabout. He was charged with 11 offences including 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death on Monday and granted bail on Tuesday morning.
He will appear in court again in August, but his trial likely won’t happen until 2024.
If you have been affected by the death of a loved one on the road, you can contact the Road Trauma Support Group Line at 1800 808 384.
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