Fine for serious bus crash harm
A tour bus driver has been sentenced to
200 hours’ community service and disqualified from driving for nine months after a bus crash near Queenstown that caused a girl to lose both hands and a woman to lose an arm.
He must also pay $9000 in reparation to the two most seriously injured victims.
The bus, carrying a Chinese tour group, crashed on a downhill corner with a 45kmh advisory sign on January 21 at Wilson Bay, on the GlenorchyQueenstown Road.
The driver, Liang Fang, 32, earlier admitted charges of careless driving causing injury to Leyao Dong, Qin He, Jun Yang and Yixin Cai.
The Awing Travel NZ Ltd bus and trailer tipped on to its side and skidded for about 40m after Fang lost control on a downhill bend about 10km from central Queenstown.
Twenty-three people, including the driver, were on board. St John staff treated
20 for injuries.
Two of the passengers, the girl who lost both hands and the woman who lost an arm, were flown to hospital in a serious condition.
Fang was sentenced by Judge John Strettell in the Queenstown District Court.
An application for a discharge without conviction was declined.
Judge Strettell said Fang had been resident in New Zealand since 2016 and employed as a bus driver. He drove tour groups from Christchurch to Wanaka and Queenstown over three to four days, visiting sites of interest.
On January 21, he was driving a
28-seater bus with 22 Chinese nationals on board and towing a large, closed-in trailer.
The group had left Wanaka in the morning and were travelling towards
Glenorchy from Queenstown. The speed limit on the road was 100kmh and it was known to be undulating and twisting.
Fang had previously driven on the road four or five times. He approached two corners on a downhill section. The second was about 90 degrees and had a sign advising a 45kmh speed. Fang drove into the corner at 62kmh, the judge said.
He struggled to control the bus and was travelling too fast as he exited the corner.
It crossed the centre line and when he attempted to correct it he lost control and it fell on its side, skidding about 40m and shattering windows.
The 10-year-old girl who lost both hands later had one arm removed from the shoulder. Another woman had her arm amputated near the shoulder. The injuries were life changing, the judge said.
The girl was still receiving support and treatment in Auckland, while the other injured people had returned to China.
Defence counsel Kirsty Allan said Fang was remorseful.
‘‘He has written letters to the victims where he says he can never forgive himself for what’s happened and that’s a burden he will live with forever.’’
He believed he took the corner at 50kmh and was affected by sun strike, she said.
Judge Strettell said Fang was a professional driver who should have been aware of the issues on the road. Fang had an otherwise blameless record and was trying to improve his own and his family’s life. There would be consequences with regards to his visa, the judge said.
‘‘This is a case that has significance for all bus drivers and professional drivers.
‘‘The outcome should be a warning and a note to all that they must take care, act cautiously, drive to conditions and at all times be aware of the responsibility that they have for their passengers.’’
The reparation payment was to be split with $6000 being paid to the 10-year-old girl and $3000 to the woman who lost her arm.