Crane used to lift back bus on road in Whangārei

An Atlas crane driver, with the help of one other man on the ground, delicately maneuvered the bus out of the ditch and gently lowered it back on to the road. Photo/ Kristin Edge

Four days after a school bus crashed off a Northland road it was lifted out of a ditch and placed back on the road.

However, the Ritchies bus, which had no students on board when it ended up in the ditch on Monday, was unable to be driven and a tow truck delivered the bus to the Ritchies yard where it was due to undergo a mechanical inspection yesterday.It was too early to say when or if the bus might be operational.

A quick glance over the body of the bus revealed some frontal damage to the cab and some panel damage but overall the company mechanic, who watched the retrieval, was relatively happy with the limited damage.

The bus went off the road after it is believed the driver struck a patch of diesel on Pataua North Rd about 3pm. The bus came to rest on its side and the driver managed to get out of the cab door and was not injured.

The Ritchies school bus was craned out of a ditch on Pataua North Rd. Photo/ John Stone

A Ritchies spokesman said children had been dropped off and the driver was on his way to collect a second load when the bus went off the road. Another bus was dispatched to complete the school run.

Fulton Hogan workers were on the scene shortly after the crash and scattered an absorbent mix across the road. Road cones were installed and a reduced speed limit was put in place until yesterday.

An Atlas crane driver, with the help of one other man on the ground, delicately manoeuvred the bus out of the ditch and gently lowered it back on to the road.

The lift took just five minutes but preparation took about an hour. For most of the operation one lane was kept open for traffic.