after 24 years. The coroner also recommended research into coach seats, seat anchorages and seatbelts. Better emergency exits for coaches were also recommended, as rescuers were hindered in their initial efforts to enter the wreckage by the positioning of the exits 2.4m from the ground. Following the collision and despite the extensive damage incurred, both coaches were rebuilt by Denning, being completed in June 1990 and allocated body numbers 1378 (Trans City Express – original body 1238) and 1379 (McCafferty's – original body 1335). After the demise of Trans City Express in March 1992, much of its fleet was sold off and McCafferty's was among the purchasers, buying three coaches including the one involved in the accident. Both of the rebuilt coaches remained in service with McCafferty's for more than a decade. The McCafferty's coach from the Kempsey crash was involved in another accident exactly 14 years later, in the early hours of 22 December 2003. On this occasion the coach was travelling south towards Rockhampton on the Bruce Highway when it was involved in a head-on collision with a truck. On this occasion there were no fatalities, with six people suffering minor injuries. However, the coach was damaged beyond economic repair and was written off. This accident and the Grafton bus crash eight weeks earlier were described as "arguably Australia’s most catastrophic examples of high consequence/low probability incidents in the bus industry" in a bus safety discussion document. The section of the Pacific Highway where the collision occurred was bypassed in May 2016 by a dual carriageway as part of the upgrades recommended by the coroner and is now named Macleay Valley Way. See also List of disasters in Australia by death toll References News video of accident National Nine News – Nightline clip Emergency NSW article including photo Mention on Emergency Management Australia website "Pacific Highway Upgrade" – NSW Parliament mention in Hansard 1989 in Australia Disasters in New South Wales Bus transport in New South Wales Bus incidents in Australia Road incidents in Australia 1989 road incidents 1980s in New South Wales December 1989 events in Australia 1989 disasters in Australia