Bunbury man Michael Patrick Buswell, 55, jailed for seven years after double fatal crash on Bussell Highway

A 55-year-old Bunbury man sobbed in shame and guilt after he was jailed for seven years for veering on to the wrong side of Bussell Highway and causing a tragic fatal crash. Michael Patrick Buswell was sentenced in Bunbury District Court on Monday after pleading guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm. The court was told Buswell was travelling home from Dunsborough with two work colleagues in a Toyota Hilux on the afternoon of November 20 last year. At 3:43pm, Buswell, who was travelling in a northerly direction in the Ludlow area, veered onto the wrong side of the dual carriageway into the pathway of a prime mover that was travelling south. The driver of the prime mover veered left to take evasive action and sounded its horn but Buswell crashed into the mover’s trailer and then head on with a Mitsubishi Lancer that was travelling behind the prime mover. The two women riding in the Lancer, Isabelle Harnell, 58, and Natalie Harding, 51, were both killed on impact while Buswell’s back seat passenger Kim Walsh suffered life threatening injuries including six broken ribs, chipped teeth and lacerations to his kidney and liver. While it was not known if Mr Walsh’s injuries had a lasting impact, it was understood Buswell and his second passenger Elijah Pearce suffered minor injuries. A blood test conducted on Buswell three hours after the crash found he had 0.61mg of methamphetamine per litre of blood in his system, which District Court Judge Laurence Levy noted was 60 times over the legal drug limit in the United Kingdom. In submissions, Buswell’s lawyer Kate Turtley-Chappel conceded an immediate term of imprisonment was the only appropriate disposition. Ms Turtley-Chappel submitted Buswell had consumed methamphetamine “a day or two” leading up to the crash, despite him initially telling police it was several weeks before. It was also submitted Buswell had been using methamphetamine to cope with severe depression he suffered following the breakdown of a long term relationship and had since undergone counselling since remanding himself in custody in January. A drug analysis report submitted to the court indicated Buswell was in “the fatigue phase of intoxication”, which was backed up by police statements taken from Mr Pearce, who said he saw Buswell fall asleep at the wheel leading up to the crash. Victim impact statements described both Isabelle Harnell and Natalie Harding as loving women who always provided a shoulder to lean on in time of need. In sentencing, Judge Levy acknowledged the devastating effect the crash has had on a large number of people and Buswell’s offending represents “every road user’s nightmare”. “Nothing I can say will properly encapsulate the devastating impact this offending has had not just on the friends and family of Ms Harnell and Ms Harding but the wider community as well from witnesses to the police that responded,” he said. “No sentence I impose will ever compensate for the loss of two lives and the life threatening injuries Mr Walsh suffered. “This event was completely avoidable because you selfishly chose to use methamphetamine and later get behind the wheel of a car.” Buswell’s seven-year jail sentence was backdated to January 14 and will be eligible for parole in 2026. He was also disqualified from driving for four years upon his release.

Bunbury man Michael Patrick Buswell, 55, jailed for seven years after double fatal crash on Bussell Highway

Subscribe today.

Everyday Digital

Weekend Papers + Everyday Digital