A bus has smashed into a tree in South Auckland with ambulance officers treating passengers at the scene.
Eight people were injured when a Ritchies bus crashed into a tree in Pahurehure.
A 14-year-old Rosehill College student suffered a head gash and concussion; her friend was seriously injured.
Auckland Transport and Ritchies are investigating the crash, claims bus driver was threatened.
A schoolgirl who suffered a gash on her head and concussion in a bus crash said one second her friend was sitting beside her at the back, the next she was flying to the front.
Eight people, including the 14-year-old Rosehill College student who suffered a gash to the back of her head and a concussion, were injured after a Ritchies bus smashed into a tree on Elliot St, Pahurehure, just before 9am.
And a public transport official says support is being offered to the bus driver amid claims they were later threatened at the crash scene.
The teenager, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was sitting at the back of the bus with her friends on the way to school when she looked up and realised they were “way too close to the footpath”.
A split second later the bus crashed into a tree, smashing the front windscreen and sending passengers “flying”, she said.
Her friend was one of the two people seriously injured in the crash.
“One second she was sitting beside me, the next she wasn’t there.”
The bus smashed into a tree on Elliot St, Pahurehure.
Blood gushed from a wound at the back of her head which occurred when her head slammed back against the seat during the crash.
She said her friend suffered head and back injuries as well as an injury to her hand. Her friend is still in Middlemore Hospital, while she recovers from her concussion at home.
The other person seriously injured remained on the bus until emergency services arrived, she said, and then was quickly rushed to hospital.
A fire chief at the scene said the passengers were mostly students, and he recognised Rosehill Intermediate and Rosehill College uniforms.
Eight people were injured when a bus crashed into a tree in South Auckland.
“We helped ambulance … there were a lot of walking wounded”, Papakura Fire Brigade senior station officer Brendon Lawson said.
Rosehill College sent an email to parents that said senior leadership went to the site as soon as possible to work alongside emergency services to support students on-site.
“We will continue to support whānau during this time.
“As usual, in times of high emotion, our guidance team will be available to offer counselling and assistance to our students.”
Three people were hospitalised after bus carrying school kids crashed.
Neighbour Param Singh woke to a “big noise”.
By the time he dressed and went out five minutes later, emergency services had arrived.
A St John spokesperson said eight people were injured.
Out of three people hospitalised, two were seriously injured and one was moderately injured.
“Two other patients self-transported to a local medical centre, in a moderate condition.
“The remaining three patients were assessed and treated at the scene.”
Auckland Transport director Stacey van der Putten said AT was working closely with emergency services and Ritchies to ensure a thorough investigation.
“The images taken after the collision and accounts of what happened from passengers onboard, many of them school children, show just how serious this crash was,” van der Putten said.
“Where we have contact details available for the passengers who were onboard we are reaching out to them to offer our support. We know that incidents like this can be harrowing even for people who don’t receive physical injuries.
“While Police investigate, Ritchies is also conducting its own internal investigation which will include an initial assessment of any potential medical factors.”
Van der Putten said AT was also working with Ritchies “to make sure that the bus driver involved has robust support at this time”.
“They are shocked by what happened and we understand that there may have been some threats made against the driver following the collision, which is disappointing and totally unacceptable.
“We also want to reassure Aucklanders that incidents like this are incredibly rare on our bus services, which generally have a much lower rate of collisions than private vehicles.
“However, any incident like this is one too many and we are committed to identifying areas for improvement through the investigations underway and working on implementing these with our partners like Ritchies.”
Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.
