Thursday, 18 April 2013 - 1:49pm |
National News

Investigators return to the scenes of two serious Waikato crashes

1 min read

Waikato Police investigators returned to the scene of a bus crash this morning, working to establish just what caused the crash south of Matamata yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to the crash about 4pm after the InterCity bus, travelling from Matamata to Hamilton, via Cambridge, crashed on a straight piece of road on SH29 near the Hinuera Quarry.

Leaving the road to the left and ending up on its side in a culvert, the bus carrying five children and 15 adults came to rest facing the way it had come.

Four people suffered serious to moderate injuries in the crash with two being flown to Waikato Hospital by helicopter while a woman with a broken pelvis and back injuries was taken to Tauranga Hospital.

Two pre-school aged children were transported to Waikato Hospital by ambulance as a precaution while other passengers with less serious injuries were treated at local medical centres or at the scene.

Weather conditions at the time of the crash were described as wet with blustery winds.

Anyone who witnessed the crash who has not yet spoken to Police is asked to contact the Waikato Serious Crash Unit at the Waikato Road Policing Base on 07 858 6200.

Meanwhile crash investigators investigating last week's fatal crash involving a motorcycle at the roundabout at the intersection of SH1, Norton Rd and Riflerange Rd will be returning to the scene this weekend.

Members of the Waikato Serious Crash Unit will return to the roundabout at about 5am on Sunday 21 April to allow them to close the busy arterial route and conduct further analysis at a time least likely to inconvenience the public.

Though traffic management staff and diversions will be in place motorists are asked to avoid using the intersection during the course of the crash scene analysis which is expected to take about two hours.

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