KEY POINTS:
A witness has described seeing a boy clutching his shoulder in agony after another school bus crash this morning.
The accident in Upper Hutt comes a day after a school bus rolled north of Auckland injuring 19 students.
Six students were injured and taken to hospital after today's collision between a bus and a rubbish truck at an intersection. One child was said to have moderate injuries.
Sergeant Ian McDonald, of Upper Hutt police, said the driver would either be charged with careless driving or careless driving causing injury.
Terry Nunnes, who was waiting at the intersection on his way to work, said it was "a hell of a collision".
"I saw it hit it and I saw the glass shattering everywhere and I thought, 'God that's had a hell of a wallop!"'
Mr Nunnes said he saw a boy sitting in the front of the bus "in agony" holding his shoulder.
He did not see which vehicle was at fault.
The bus was sitting in the middle of the intersection ready to turn right, he said. "All I saw was the big Waste Management truck smashing into the bus."
He added: "It was quite sad really seeing this poor boy's face in agony."
Mr McDonald said the bus collided with a rubbish truck at the intersection, which was governed by lights. "So someone has gone through a light," he said.
The bus was travelling to St Patrick's College in Silverstream.
Mr McDonald said those taken to Hutt Hospital were suffering from rib and other injuries.
The bus had extensive damage to the left-hand side with all but one window smashed.
Glass littered the inside of the bus and blood was spattered on the footpath where the bus had stopped.
The waste truck had significant damage to its mechanical arm.
Police said between 20 and 25 children were on board and that they appeared to be secondary school students.
The accident happened at the intersection of Sutherland Avenue and Fergusson Drive in Heretaunga.
Police were at the scene and it was estimated the road would be closed for an hour. Diversions were put in place.
Emergency services yesterday said students were extremely lucky to get away without serious injury when a school bus rolled on the Coatesville-Riverhead highway north of Auckland.
- NZHERALD STAFF, NZPA
