VIC Car accident - Bus driver let me through and gestured to say it was clear to go but it wasn't

[AAM]

I was waiting to turn right out of a street, there was on coming traffic both ways (one lane each way).
The lane I had to cross came to a stop but a bus driver left a gap for me to get though. It was clear by his gestures that he was going to let me know when it from safe to turn right as he was up high in the bus and could see any on coming traffic. He had two hands up to say don't go (for about 10 seconds) then he waved me through. I suddenly hit an oncoming car.

The other driver and I pulled over and discussed how silly it was that the bus driver gestured me to go. Obviously, I wouldn't have willingly driven into on coming traffic.
The bus driver did not stop and I do not have car insurance. The insurance company have contacted me to cover the damage.

I'm asking for advice, is the bus driver liable at all? I feel like we entered a non verbal agreement.
I don't know if the other driver was speeding, she said she wasn't so I don't think she's liable in anyway but I really don't feel like I should take full responsibility.
Thanks in advance.

 

[LordRisen]

I see it's been a while since this topic was discussed, but I just want to ask—did you end up sorting everything out? Liability in these situations can get really tricky, especially when another driver gives a signal that turns out to be misleading. Curious to know how it all played out for you and if you learned anything from the claims process that could help others in similar situations.

 

[Riggsle]

If the bus driver's gesture led you to believe it was safe to go, but it wasn't, the responsibility can still fall on you since it's your duty to check for traffic. A similar issue often comes up in truck accidents, where drivers rely on signals from others. I once spoke to an 18-wheeler accident lawyer Knoxville about liability in these cases, and they stressed that hand signals aren't legally binding.