IMAGINE waking after a high-speed bus crash to the news the mate you got on the bus with was dead.

That's exactly what happened to crash survivor Matthew Edwards.

Matt was on the ill-fated Whitsunday Transit bus that left Airlie Beach for Proserpine on Tuesday afternoon three weeks ago.

He got on the bus with his mate Casey.

"I was sitting right up the back seat and he was sitting two seats in front of me," he said.

"Something went wrong with the bus, there was a quick jar… the next minute we are all getting chucked around… the next minute I know everything just went black and I woke up in hospital."

He woke to the news of Casey's death.

"They didn't want to tell me straight away because of my head injury. They didn't want me to freak out."

Matt said he felt lucky to be alive.

Though the cuts on his left elbow, shoulder and knee are healing well there is still concern about the head injury.

"I had to have therapy and physio. The therapy was easy because they thought I lost my memory (but)… my memory is pretty good, nothing has changed."

However, there will be no footy for Matt for some time.

Two weeks ago a group of indigenous lads played in Matthew's honour at a fundraising touch footy match against the local police.

"It's great that they did that and I thank them a lot," he said.

On Monday Matthew even got the Nike shoes he was wearing in the crash replaced by Ben Malady of Whitsunday Transit.

Matthew's step-mother Lorraine Durre said the generosity "restores your faith in human kindness".