Bus crashes in Manawatū, 19 people injured
Thursday, 2 August 2018
A bus that crashed on State Highway 1 in Manawatū, with 19 people suffering injuries, was the same make as one involved in a fatal crash in the weekend.
The bus in the latest crash rolled into a ditch near Sanson on Thursday and involved an iwi group travelling north from Wellington.
That came less than a week after a bus crashed on the way back from Tūroa skifield, killing an 11-year-old girl.
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Ngāi Te Rangi iwi chief executive Paora Stanley said 'a bus carrying whānau returning from Parliament' had crashed. Three people had suffered moderate to serious injuries, but 'most people suffered only some bumps and bruises'.
'The bus is owned by us… it's a [Mitsubishi] Fuso. It has had a COF completed in the last three weeks, and the two drivers are both commercially trained and experienced drivers.
'We invite people to keep all of our whānau in their prayers – some are laying in hospital.'
The group was at Parliament earlier on Thursday as part of a protest at the signing of the Hauraki Treaty settlement.
Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman Mike Wanoa said the bus had rolled. 'By the time we arrived people at the scene had helped them off.'
It was initially reported that 28 people were aboard the bus and one was seriously injured, but police later clarified there were 19 people on the bus.
Six were sent to Palmerston North Hospital with moderate injuries and 13 with minor injuries were taken to Whanganui Hospital.
Ambulance officers treated patients at the scene and took them to hospital, Wanoa said.
A duty nurse at Whanganui Hospital said nine people had arrived from the crash and were treated.
'They're a bit shaken, they are wet, muddy and cold, but we'll take care of them.'
Another group had been brought in by car but did not need treatment.
'We've provided them with tea and coffee and sandwiches and we've got a support person to help them.'
Five of the six taken to Palmerston North Hospital had been discharged by Friday morning, a spokesman said.
The remaining person, a female, was in a stable condition.
The police commercial vehicle safety team will investigate the crash.
The crash happened at the intersection of Rowe Rd and SH1, between Sanson and the small settlement of Rongotea.
The officer in charge at the scene, Inspector Ross Grantham, said the bus was heading towards Sanson when it rolled off the road, ploughing a furrow in the berm, before landing on its side in a ditch.
Stanley said the group was awaiting test results to learn more about the condition of patients taken to Palmerston North Hospital.
The 13 who went to Whanganui Hospital were 'all OK', and those who had been discharged were staying in accommodation in Whanganui for the night.
'We are keeping everyone together where possible. Our priority is our whānau.
'We want to allow them to rest up rather than have them travel [back to Tauranga] after quite a difficult event today.'
The iwi had set up support teams in Palmerston North, Whanganui and Tauranga, and was operating a phone line for relatives to call to check on their loved ones.
Grantham said by 8pm the scene of the crash had been cleared. A crane had been brought in to remove the bus, which had been taken to a depot for further inspection.
RUAPEHU CRASH
The bus crash is the second in a week. Police are continuing to appeal for anyone who saw or who was aboard a fatal bus crash on Mt Ruapehu on Saturday to come forward.
The 1994 Mitsubishi Fuso bus crashed on its way down from the Tūroa skifield, killing 11-year-old Hannah Teresa Francis of Auckland and injuring 20 others.
Passengers said it appeared the brakes failed suddenly as it was travelling from Tūroa skifield back down to Ōhakune.