Seven kids in car with only one child seat

Seven kids were in the car when it rolled and police believe there was only one child seat. File photo / Bay of Plenty Times

A one-year-old and up to five preschoolers were travelling in a "people mover" which rolled yesterday in Wellington after the driver fell asleep.

And police believe there was only one child seat in the vehicle for the children.

The nine occupants of the vehicle suffered minor to moderate injuries when it rolled four times.

They were taken to Hutt Hospital in three ambulances, a Wellington Free Ambulance spokeswoman told Fairfax Media.

The driver could face serious charges over the accident, which happened about 4.40pm just north of Ngauranga Gorge on State Highway 2.

Police central communications spokesman Bruce Mackay said the accident was a "fatal waiting to happen".

"What happened - by the driver's own admission - is he fell asleep at the wheel in the fast lane, has gone across to the left lane, hit the bank, and spun the vehicle four times on its side.

"Amazingly nothing else hit it," Mr Mackay said. "But it is pretty disappointing to have this sort of thing going on."

An ambulance nurse told police it appeared as if some of the children "weren't seatbelted in at all", he said.

"It is only opinion at the moment that people weren't strapped in but there just simply weren't enough seats to legally and appropriately have these kids sitting in the vehicle."

The driver could be charged with careless driving causing injury but it could have been so much worse, Mr Mackay said. "It could easily have been careless driving causing death."

- NZPA