A man has died and police have launched a critical incident investigation after a bus and a car collided south east of Dubbo on Saturday morning.
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Police were initially called to respond to a domestic incident at an address outside Dubbo around 8.45am on Saturday morning.
Officers travelling along the Mitchell Highway identified a Mazda sedan leaving the scene and allegedly linked to the incident.
The driver failed to stop as directed, with police launching and quickly terminating a pursuit over safety concerns around his manner of driving.
A short time later the car crossed to the opposite side of the Mitchell Highway and collided head-on with a bus, one kilometre east of the intersection with Eulomogo Road at Dubbo.
The driver of the sedan, a man believed to be aged in his 30s, died at the scene, but is yet to be formally identified.
Multiple ambulances attended the scene just before 9.30am.
26 people, aged from 10 to 80, were assessed by paramedics, with seven passengers transported to Dubbo Base Hospital in a stable condition.
The 54-year-old woman behind the wheel of the bus was also taken to hospital for injuries.
Police said it was likely the bus driver's evasive action had saved many lives.
The Crash Investigation Unit will examine the crime scene, while a critical incident team from the Chifley Police District will investigate all the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The investigation will be subject to an independent review and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.
The Mitchell Highway was expected to be closed in both directions for several hours.
