Passers-by help save hurt tourists
‘‘It was a very steep, bushy bank. There were other buses and a lot of workmen heading home . . . they did a wonderful job.’’ Akaroa chief fire officer Mark Thomson
A group of passers-by helped dozens of tourists escape a wrecked bus and climb out of steep bush after a crash near Christchurch.
More than 20 people were injured – including two critically and five seriously – when the bus collided with a car on State Highway 75, near Akaroa, about 5pm yesterday.
There were 32 people on board the bus, headed from Christchurch to Akaroa, where the cruise ship Celebrity Solstice was berthed for the day.
A witness at the scene, who did not want to be identified, said the bus appeared to have hit a tree, which stopped it falling much further down the bank.
‘‘We would have had a lot of fatalities if it hadn’t hit the tree,’’ the witness said.
Passengers escaped from the bus through a broken window and scrambled through bush to reach the road.
Many had minor injuries such as cuts and bruises and those who were not injured were visibly distressed.
It was understood the two people in the car were among the injured.
The car’s driver was removed by firefighters using the jaws of life. The witness said those in the car appeared to be the most badly injured.
Another witness, who was among the first at the scene, said the car was destroyed.
‘‘When I got there it was pretty chaotic,’’ the witness said.
‘‘She was pinned in her seat and the whole front of the car had been wiped off.’’
The bus driver was also trapped before being rescued from the wreckage. At least two of the bus passengers told responders at the scene that the driver had a medical event shortly before the crash, but this has not been confirmed.
Two people with critical injuries and one with serious injuries were flown to Christchurch Hospital’s emergency department, a St John spokesman said.
Another four people with serious injuries and one with moderate injuries were taken to hospital by road ambulances.
Twenty-six people with minor or non-injuries were taken by a different bus to Akaroa Fire Station, where they were treated by paramedics. All returned to the cruise ship about 8pm.
The ship was scheduled to leave for Dunedin at 7pm, but was delayed by several hours due to the crash.
Akaroa chief fire officer Mark Thomson said about a dozen motorists stopped and helped the passengers escape.
‘‘The bystanders have done a marvellous job,’’ he said.
‘‘It was a very steep, bushy bank. There were other buses and a lot of workmen heading home . . . they did a wonderful job.’’
The police’s commercial vehicle investigation unit and serious crash unit have been advised.
SH75 was closed into the evening, but diversions were available via Pigeon Bay Rd and Summit Rd.
Mark Kinchley, regional manager of industry body Cruise New Zealand, said the crash involved cruise ship passengers, but did not have any further details.