9 February 2012
A logging truck driver who crashed into the back of a schoolbus last year - injuring 35 school children - has been charged by the Police with 16 counts of Dangerous Driving Causing Injury. The driver will appear in Whakatane District Court on 23 February. Police allege the unladen truck hit the back of the bus as it was pulling over to drop off children in Ruatoki, south of Whakatane, on 5 September. The bus and cab of the truck were shunted about 50 m into a paddock while the trailer tipped on the road.Many children were injured, with an 8-year-old girl left in a critical condition.
Bay of Plenty road policing manager Inspector Kevin Taylor said the crash was very serious crash - one of the worst and most upsetting, in terms of the number of young victims, that had ever been attended by many of our police staff and other emergency services. Sixteen of those hurt had injuries serious enough to to warrant charging the driver under the Land Transport Act.
Mr Taylor said the investigation and crash analysis concluded the truck driver caused the crash when he failed to manoeuvre around the school bus.
Transbay Coaches operations manager, Stu McNabb, said the local man was still very shaken and did not have any plans to get back behind the wheel of a bus. The man's granddaughter was the 8-year-old girl who was left fighting for her life after the crash. The girl has since made a full recovery.
Source: NZ Herald story by Amelia Wade. To read the full story, click here.