A woman whose hand became trapped in a bus seat in Tauranga yesterday narrowly escaped having to be cut free from the seat by firefighters called to her plight.
The woman attempted to retrieve a bus ticket that fell down the back of a seat at 9.50am. The woman was on board a Bayhopper bus in Bellevue when she was unable to pull her hand back out and called to the bus driver for help.
The bus stopped at a Queen Rd bus stop but instead of picking up passengers, the driver tried to help the woman free her hand. When they were unsuccessful the driver called 111.
Tauranga firefighters and St John Ambulance paramedics responded. Fire Service station officer Kevin Cowper said the woman was free when firefighters arrived a few minutes later.
If she had still been trapped, firefighters would have likely used life-saving cutting equipment to free her. The woman was assessed by St John ambulance staff but did not require medical treatment.
