Car and school bus collide on rural Northland road

A car and school bus collided on a Brooks Rd with two people being taken to hospital with minor injuries. Photo/ Michael Cunningham

The driver of a car that collided with a school bus and one student were taken to hospital with minor injuries following a crash on a rural road this morning.

Commercial Vehicle Safety Team officer Senior Constable John van Pomeren said the bus had 33 students from Waipu Primary School and Bream Bay College onboard when it collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction on Brooks Rd, near Waipu, about 8am today.

He said the female driver of the car had just come up over the brow of hill on the gravel road and possibly could have had her sight impaired by sunstrike.

The car struck the school bus on the righthand side just behind the front wheel and travelled along the panel of the bus before spinning and coming to rest on the side of the road.
The car was written off and the bus had to be towed.

The bus company sent another bus and the students were driven to school.

Van Pomeren said he was yet to speak with both drivers and investigations continued.