Tourists thrown out of bus window
Driver in the dock as court hears how five travellers died
Five passengers in a Chinese tourist bus that lost control near Rotorua were thrown from the rear window and killed when the vehicle rolled and landed on them.
The bus driver yesterday appeared in the Rotorua District Court and entered guilty pleas to five charges of careless use of a motor vehicle causing death and eight charges of careless use of a motor vehicle causing injury.
Junwei Zhang, 39, was supported by friends in the public gallery and bowed to Judge Maree Mackenzie before entering the dock.
Four adults and a young child died in the crash near Rotorua on September 4 last year.
The bus was carrying 27 people when it rolled on State Highway 5 at Ngatira, 20km northwest of Rotorua, on a stretch of bush-edged road between Waiohotu and Galaxy Rds.
The wounded were treated for injuries at the scene and others flown to hospitals around the North Island.
A police summary of facts, released to NZME, said the tourist bus left Auckland with an itinerary of activities within the Rotorua area.
The bus contained 23 Chinese tourists, two tour guides, one tour leader and Zhang.
Zhang was driving the Sunlong 35-seat passenger coach bus east on State Highway 5 at Ngatira, near Rotorua, about 11am when the crash happened.
The summary said weather conditions at the time were poor with strong winds, cloud and rain.
The road was wet with sufficient drainage.
As Zhang approached a sweeping right-hand bend with a recommended 85km/h speed, he veered to the left side of the road.
There is no evidence to suggest the defendant was exceeding the recommended speed, the summary said.
A strong crosswind caused the rear wheels of the bus to slip.
The defendant lost control of the vehicle.
He quickly steered right, causing the rear of the bus to swing left.
When the rear of the bus began to drift left, Zhang overcorrected.
This caused the rear of the bus to swing right into the opposing lane and rotate 180 degrees, the summary said.
As the bus slid off the road, the rear passengers were jolted right, causing five passengers to be propelled out of the right-hand rear windows, the summary said.
The bus continued to slide down a small bank where it rolled on to its side and on top of the five passengers.
As a result, five passengers died and eight suffered moderate to severe in- juries.
The summary detailed those injured. Junyin Lei suffered bruising to his hand and a concussion; Xiaojun Li suffered multiple broken ribs, a fractured clavicle and numerous pelvic fractures; Hongbing Zhang suffered a lower spine fracture; Aibi Quan suffered two broken ribs, a fractured sternum and two clavicle fractures; Yuxian Li suffered a neck fracture; Xiaorong Yan suffered a fractured rib and Ying Guo suffered a fractured scapula and broken rib.
Judge Mackenzie remanded Zhang on bail to be sentenced on September 21 in the Rotorua District Court.
Zhang was represented by Laura Owen.
Zhang’s friend, who didn’t want to be named, told NZME outside the courthouse that Zhang was having a difficult time and felt very sorry for what had happened.
He said he was still having trouble driving and his friends were doing their best to support him.
Zhang declined to comment.