A charter bus carrying 41 teenagers crashed into an Eketahuna lifestyle block, 10 had to be taken to hospital. PHOTO/ROBYN ANGUS
41 teens on board, 10 taken to hospital
Bus ends up 30cm away from stream
Eli Hill
[email protected]
One Eketahuna couple had a “crazy start to the weekend” when a bus carrying 41 teenagers ploughed into a paddock on their lifestyle block.
Three ambulances were called to the crash approximately 2.5 kilometres north of Eketahuna just before 7am on Saturday.
Eight people with minor injuries and two with moderate injuries were taken to Wairarapa Hospital’s Emergency Department; all were checked over and were able to leave the same day.
One teen from the crash arrived at ED later in the day and was treated before being discharged.
Robyn Angus, whose paddock the bus crashed into, said she and her husband Dave had heard the siren go off at Eketahuna’s fire station but had thought nothing of it.
“I was lying in bed and got a text from my neighbour asking if I knew what was in my paddock. I thought, oh no, not another car.”
“I threw on my gumboots and a dressing gown, went down to the paddock and there’s this bus.”
Angus said that by the time the couple had arrived at the crash, firefighters, ambulance staff, and police had already been on scene.
Angus was told there were 41 teenagers on board, and they had been coming back from a gathering or function in Auckland.
“Our property is on a rise in the highway, and the road kind of veers to the left.
“The bus driver’s gone straight through our property and 100-200 metres into the paddock.
“How they got through the first creek in the roadside I don’t know.
“The bus took our fence with it through the paddock and it stopped 30 centimetres from the next creek in our property.
“If it had gone in there, it might’ve rolled.”
Crashes happened on the stretch of road “too often” Angus said.
Tranzit Group managing director Paul Snelgrove said they were aware of the incident.
“At the time, the NZ Police and our operations manager were at the scene.
“We continue to do everything possible to support our driver and the passengers involved.”
