A bus transporting students from Howick College was hit by a car on the morning of Monday, Nov. 17, 2014, leaving dozens of teenaged children injured and shaken by the incident. The vehicle responsible for the crash, reported to be a white sedan, sped off following the accident and is being sought by police as they investigate the crash. The bus was carrying around 50 passengers at the time of the accident.
Witnesses report seeing students fleeing from the bus sobbing and covered in blood. The bus was left on its side in a shallow ditch along the roadway following the collision with the white sedan. The accident occurred near Thames, a city on New Zealand’s northern island near Auckland. Injured parties were rushed to an area hospital where they are being treated. None of the injuries are suspected of being life-threatening, though one of the 14 students taken to the hospital following the accident did reportedly sustain a minor traumatic head injury in the crash.
The bus was allegedly traveling to a campsite when the white sedan slammed into it, causing it to partially overturn and leave the roadway. Students were not permitted to bring mobile phones with them on the planned camping trip, so contacting their families following the accident proved challenging. Parents of the students aboard the bus were understandably unhappy to hear of the incident, but glad that their children were alive following the crash.
Workers in a nearby nursing home observed the crash and brought out blankets and warm clothing to the students involved in the accident, as the morning was a chilly one near Auckland. One nurse at Thames hospital described the day as being one in which hypothermia was a real concern, stating that the injured students’ moods improved rapidly upon being bundled in blankets upon reaching the hospital.
Roads were closed following the accident, and officials continue to investigate the crash with hopes of finding the driver of the late-model sedan responsible for the collision so that he or she can be brought to justice.