Two young boys watched their little brother as he was hit and killed by a school bus just after he had been dropped off on the way home, a coroner's inquest has been told today.
The inquest into the death of Hector boy Mahuri Hemi Bettjeman-Manawatu, five, who died on August 21, 2012, opened this morning in the Greymouth District Court.
Regional Coroner Richard McElrea passed on the court's condolences to Mahuri's parents, Jamie Manawatu and Terri-Lee Bettjeman, who were present.
The inquest was told that Mahuri's brothers, aged 7 and 9, witnessed the accident. Both were interviewed by a specialist child interviewer.
Evidence was given this morning by officer in charge, Detective Sergeant Gavin Nicols, serious crash unit Senior Constable Greg Taylor, and Ritchies Bus Company national training manager John Harvey.