Driver charged after school bus crash

A 49-year-old bus driver has been charged with careless driving after the school bus he was driving with 16 children on board crashed into a power pole in Hokitika.

Police had finished their inquiries into the crash and the driver would appear in Greymouth District Court at a later date, Constable Clint Wright said.

The children were trapped in the school bus yesterday afternoon while live power lines arced around them.

It was 20 minutes before the scene was secured and they could be pulled to safety through a broken window.

The children were travelling home on the Ritchies bus when it veered off the road taking out a power pole and leaving the vehicle teetering on three wheels.

Parents of the children, from both primary and secondary schools, arrived on the scene shortly after emergency services.

Ross Barker said his two sons were trapped on the bus while it was secured and electricity in the immediate vicinity was cut off. The children were then pulled out one by one through a rear window and checked over by medical staff.

Mr Barker said one of his sons suffered a chipped tooth and a cut to the ear. Another passenger was taken to Grey Base Hospital with moderate injuries.

- NZPA