"School Bus Crash"

Every morning two school buses leave our yard.
One heads south to Waitara, the other north to Piopio.
They are both driven by experienced, professional women drivers.

This morning the Piopio bus rounded a corner to see a car hit a bank and spin across the road straight into the front of the bus, finally careering off over the bank.

I was buying my morning pie, when the fire siren went off.
I asked a passing truck if he had seen anything, and he said, "I think the school bus has crashed...."


Our crew arrived early on the scene, they have gone up to the top of the corner to make sure nothing comes screaming down the hill. I have grabbed some cones and set them out as volunteer firemen are still arriving. The car is over the bank by the fire engine.

There are three inside, the rear passenger is unconscious

The rescue helicopter is in the air and soon makes an appearance.
The medic crewman watches the tail rotor clearance, the ambulance officer is also directing the pilot & giving height off the ground.


It's a tricky landing, power lines cross the road here.

The words "School Bus Crash" mean rescue services arrive from miles away, coming from Urenui, Piopio, & Te Kuiti.

My very dirty truck is at the northern end of the accident scene, and the door is open so I can hear the R/T.
I can also warn approaching trucks on the CB and they will warn others further down the line.

Luckily no children or the driver were hurt, there were only five I think on the bus at that point.
They did an amazing job, warning oncoming traffic, and ringing the emergency services.

However three were seriously injured in the car, one critically.

Another reminder as to how important the volunteer rescue crews are, especially in rural areas.

It could have been so much worse, but the bus driver stayed cool and kept her bus on the road.

A big shout out to the kids too, who did all the right things...

NZH News
Radio NZ Audio

Alway's On A Friday ...

The Taranaki Rescue Helicopter sidles gingerly in for a landing on Mt Messenger.

It's not hard to see the skill required to safely get close to an accident scene.

A car & van collided on a slippery corner with one injured.

I had only time to grab a shaky photo, as we tried to get rid of a fuel spill.

Diesel leaking from insecure truck fuel caps is a curse on this stretch of road. This is especially true of the shady south side, which is also continually wet.
When you also add the mind set of the would-be rally driver to the mix, which this part of the road also seems to inspire, you have a potent mix, which keeps us busy.

This is one section of road that my fellow Kiwis should treat with respect.

It Bites...

From The Roadworker's Log...

click for bigger photo's

When you first arrive at an accident scene and see the rescue helicopter, it is with mixed feelings.


Obviously someone is injured, but it is good to see professionals on the job. Medical help is scarce in rural communities.


Here we have a logging truck and trailer on it's side. The trailer is over the bank, most of the logs also, but quite a few are on the road. With the truck across the road like this nobody is going anywhere soon.


Before the helicopter has lifted off, cleanup begins, engine oil being dealt with here.


The helicopter leaves for Taranaki Base Hospital, sometimes Waikato.


A digger is rounded up, and ushered through the banked up, waiting traffic.
It is offloaded onto the road.


It pushes the logs off the road


And as it is starts to get dark, lifts the truck onto it's wheels


The truck is dragged over to the north lane of the road, and now we can let traffic through till the crane arrives.


The crane has to lift the trailer onto the wrecked truck


Some hours later, the truck is finally loaded onto a transporter and taken away.
The road is cleaned up and made safe and then it's Home Time!


Then at dawn this morning the logs are recovered and loaded onto another truck.
A truck mounted grab does this, you can see the operator sitting up there under the lights.

At lunch we read about it in the paper (probably short term link)

Then it's away to clear slips on Mt. Messenger.

Oh it's all fun on the road....