She said she struggled when people told her how she was brave or a strong person because of what she went through.
“I haven’t done anything brave. I’m simply living, but I’m not even living my best life, because I can’t even do anything,” she said.
The bus crashed down a steep embankment on the Western Highway in Bacchus Marsh.Credit: Nine News
The teenager expressed frustration at not being able to learn to ice skate or attend her debutante ball – or go on the NASA camp she had been on her way to when the bus was hit.
“Having that opportunity taken away from me was incredibly hard to grasp,” she said.
While the young woman was among dozens of survivors and family members in court, Russell appeared via videolink from prison. He used a crutch and listened to the hearing with his arms crossed or in his lap.
Russell admitted to knowing the brakes on his truck and the two trailers he was towing were faulty.
In documents released to the media, it was revealed the experienced truck driver knew there were issues with the brakes and had reported this to his boss.
In an interview with police months after the crash, he said his boss told him it would take a day before the parts needed to fix the brakes would arrive.
But he said he thought he would “be all right” despite the brake issues.
When detectives asked him if he was aware of the risk, he said: “Yes. And I still took the risk.”
About 15 kilometres before the crash, there were alarms about the brakes going off in his cabin, Russell told police.
Soon after, he began approaching roadworks and was unable to slow down, crashing into the rear of the school bus, shunting it through a barrier and causing it to repeatedly roll down the embankment.
Wednesday’s plea hearing was originally scheduled for earlier this year, but Russell failed to attend. The court was told he was in hospital.
The pre-sentence hearing continues.