School bus and ute collide
The young boy injured during a collision between a school bus and ute in the Far North has been transferred to Starship Hospital.
About 12 children were on the bus when it crashed with a ute on Omaunu Rd, Kaeo at about 8am on November 15.
The bus was travelling to Kaeo Primary School.
The boy, believed to be aged 8 or 9, and his mum were airlifted to Whangarei Hospital in serious condition.
A third person in the ute, a young girl, was taken by ambulance to Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa in a moderate condition.
Kaeo Senior Constable Richard Avery says the boy has since been transferred to Starship hospital with abdominal injuries for further observation.
The mum, who was driving the ute, was expected to be released from hospital late last week and the girl had already gone home, Avery says.
Police, three ambulances and one fire truck attended the incident. None of the children on the bus, or the driver, were hurt.
Kaeo Primary School Principal Paul Barker says they were ‘‘shaken and emotional’’.
‘‘They are fine, they obviously got a bit of a fright...everyone was lucky.’’
Avery says the crash happened on a narrow gravel road and the serious crash unit was continuing to investigate the exact cause.