"They haven't stopped crying": Dad of school bus crash victims speaks
Gurinderdeep Singh has spoken out in the wake of the horror school bus crash in Victoria that saw seven children taken to hospital in a serious condition - two of which were his own young daughters.
Ten-year-old Gurnaaz and five-year-old Gurseerat were among the Exford Primary School students caught up in the accident, and were known among their peers and educators for their “bubbly personalities”, and for sitting side-by-side on their trip home.
However, according to their father, the girls are far from their usual selves as they recover at the Royal Children’s Hospital. As he told the Herald Sun, “both girls just keep crying saying that they want to go home. It’s been very traumatic for them and devastating for our family.
“They both haven’t been able to get out of bed. It’s just so sad to watch as they are usually laughing and so full of life.”
Gurinderdeep added that the family’s “lives have changed forever”, and that the entire experience has been “very traumatic” for all of them.
“It’s even worse as both my daughters are admitted at the same time and it’s very difficult to give them both my attention,” he said. “They are in different hospital rooms.”
His youngest daughter, Gurseerat, had sustained “lifelong” injuries in the crash, as the pair had been sitting on the side of the bus that it had tipped onto. Gurseerat had been sitting in the window seat, while Gurnaaz had been in the one beside her, he explained.
“The impact was so bad, Gurseerat’s arm was stuck and she couldn’t move, it was terrible for them to go through this,” he said.
“Gurseerat now needs a skin graft as she has been left with lifelong injuries … It may take years for Gurseerat’s arm to recover.
“Gurnaaz has a plaster on her arm. She has been deeply affected by the incident, she cries when she sees her little sister.”
Gurinderdeep - who moved to Australia on a student visa with his wife, Balwinder, and their children - noted that they had come to the country in search of a better life.
And despite the tragedy the family were fighting through, he was “extremely grateful” for the support and generosity of strangers, with people rallying to raise funds for them on GoFundMe.
As he explained, “at the moment, we are unable to work as we are here on a student visa. We want to thank the whole community for their generosity during this very difficult time.
“People have been very supportive. We are beyond grateful and want to thank all of the emergency services, Royal Children’s Hospital and school community.
“Our thoughts are with the other victims affected by this tragedy, they are all in our hearts.”
Images: GoFundMe