Four critical after bus crashes

A Hamilton man with St John training tried desperately to help a Korean tourist who had her arms nearly severed in a bus crash yesterday.

Mike Hamblyn was the first person on a horrific accident scene on State Highway 31 near Otorohanga.

A tour bus carrying 15 Korean tourists suffered a blow-out about 11km north of Otorohanga, just before lunch yesterday, causing the owner driver to lose control and the bus to roll, skidding on its side.

The woman's arms were injured when the bus rolled and witnesses at the scene said she faced losing them with skin torn away to the bone.

The woman was lying near the bus, her travelling companions trying to help, when Mr Hamblyn and his wife Christine arrived at the scene.

Many of the passengers were shocked and distraught, Mr Hamblyn said.

"It wasn't nice to come across but what training I have had kicked in."

He checked the other injured passengers then set about helping the woman, with the bus driver and another female tourist who translated what she could to the conscious woman.

"What I had was just cloth. All I had to do was improvise with little bits of cloth that were around the bus," said Mr Hamblyn, who was reluctant to talk about the ordeal.

"It was very horrific but all I did was what I was taught to do."

Emergency services arrived within about 5 to 10 minutes and took over, although he stayed to help.

"My main concern was seeing what injuries everybody had.

"I checked airways, breathing and circulation."

The woman was flown to Waikato Hospital by the Westpac Air Ambulance where she was still undergoing surgery last night. It was not known whether her arms would be saved.

A second tourist was flown to hospital by the Rotorua-based Tenon Rescue Helicopter while others were taken by five ambulances and paramedics who attended the crash.

The woman with arm injuries is one of four tourists who were passengers on the Auckland-based Kings Coachlines Bus listed as being in a critical condition last night.

Other passengers are said to have suffered moderate injuries in the crash.

The group were heading south towards Waitomo when the accident happened.

Bruce Collinson-Smith, who farms across the road from the accident site, came across the scene and raced home on his bike to get his wife Carol who has St John training.

Mrs Collinson-Smith said all the passengers were out of the bus by the time she arrived and ambulances were arriving.

"It's not something you want to be confronted with every day."

She said her training came back to her and she went to those that needed the most help.

"There was help on the way from all directions."

Police are investigating the crash.