5.45pm: Police say a falling tree is believed to have caused the fatal bus crash west of Robertson on Thursday afternoon.
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Investigators believe the bus was travelling in a westerly direction along the Illawarra Highway and about 400 metres east of Sheepwash Road when a large tree fell onto the windscreen.
As a result of the tree hitting the bus, the vehicle left the road and travelled for 150 metres before coming to a halt.
The driver, a 61-year-old man, was treated at the scene by a nurse who was travelling past the crash scene.
Paramedics attempted to revive the man without success.
Three passengers on the bus were also treated.
A 61-year-old woman and 57-year-old man were taken by Ambulance Paramedics to Bowral Hospital with shock.
A 23-year-old woman was also conveyed to hospital with minor glass lacerations and shock.
No one else was on the bus.
The Illawarra Highway remains closed in both directions between Sheepwash Road and Church Street.
Light vehicles are diverting through Burrawang via Sheepwash Road, Wildes Meadow Road and Church Street.
This diversion is not suitable for heavy vehicles, which are advised to use Picton Road to travel between the Hume Motorway and M1 Princes Motorway.
3.20pm: A man has died and three people treated for minor injuries after a bus accident west of Robertson.
Emergency services were called to the crash on the Illawarra Highway near Burrawang on Thursday afternoon.
The male driver of the bus, whose age is unknown, died at the scene. He is yet to be formally identified.
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said paramedics were called to the single-vehicle accident about 1pm.
“We treated three patients on the scene and transported two to Bowral Hospital by road ambulance,” the spokesman said.
The three passengers weren’t seriously injured, he said.
The accident involved the NSW TrainLink bus service, which connects Wollongong with the Sydney-Melbourne rail line at Moss Vale.
“Service CTY754 the 11.30 Wollongong to Moss Vale road coach has been involved in an accident,” a post on the NSW TrainLink website said.
Superintendent Zoran Dzevlan, commander of the Hume Local Area Command, said initial investigations suggest a tree fell and hit the bus as it was travelling west along the highway.
“This appears to have made the driver lose control and collide, head on, into a tree,” Supt Dzevlan said.
“A married couple, aged 57 and 63 years, was transported to Bowral Hospital where they were treated for shock.”
A 23-year-old passenger was treated for minor abrasions.
The 2.30pm Moss Vale to Wollongong service departed Moss Vale as timetabled.
The Illawarra Highway is closed in both directions between Sheepwash Road and Church Street.
Light vehicles are diverting through Burrawang via Sheepwash Road, Wildes Meadow Road and Church Street.
This diversion is not suitable for heavy vehicles, which are advised to use Picton Road to travel between the Hume Motorway and Princes Motorway.
Motorists are advised to allow additional travel time and expect delays as traffic is heavier than usual.
Motorists should also exercise caution as there are a number of trees and branches down in the area.
