1 dead, four still in hospital
A CENTRAL Otago man died and 10 people were injured in a collision between a fourwheeldrive ute and a small tourist bus near Roxburgh yesterday.
Four people were in a serious condition in Dunedin Hospital last night after the collision near Eliott Rd, 10km from Roxburgh.
Hysterical young people were helped out of the bus by two fencing contractors.
Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk, of Alexandra, said all nearby emergency services were called to the scene of the crash, just before 2pm yesterday.
Roxburgh Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer David Rooney said six fire vehicles were sent from the Roxburgh and Alexandra brigades, as well as two Otago Regional Rescue Helicopters. Two ambulances also attended.
Police confirmed last night the driver and sole occupant of the 4WD was killed in the crash. He will not be named until his nextofkin have been informed.
The bus was travelling from Dunedin to Queenstown with 10 passengers. All 10 were injured in the crash, St John said.
Police thanked members of the public who were first on the scene and did a ‘‘fantastic job in assisting the injured’’ before emergency services arrived.
Fencing contractors Laurie Crawford and Robert Watson were working beside the crash site.
‘‘All of a sudden we heard a hell of a bang and then a big scraping noise afterwards,’’ Mr Crawford told Fairfax.
‘‘People were trying to get out of the bus. There was lots of yelling and screaming going on.’’
St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said two people with serious injuries and another with moderate injuries were taken by helicopter to Dunedin Hospital’s emergency department.
Seven people with minor injuries were transported to Roxburgh Medical Centre.
Police said last night four of the injured were in a serious condition in Dunedin Hospital.
Yesterday evening the bus was visible in a ditch and the badly damaged 4WD was on the side of the road.
State Highway 8 was closed for almost three hours yesterday while emergency services atten ded the scene. It was opened fully just after 6pm. At one stage more than 25 cars heading towards Roxburgh were lined up, before being turned back.
The serious crash unit is investigating the cause of the crash. — NZME/Jono Edwards