January 12, 2019
A mum travelling on a bus involved in a fatal crash with a car was with five young children and put her body on the line to protect the youngest.
Intensive care paramedic Chris Deacon was among dozens of first responders who rushed to Gowing Dr in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank after an Audi car and a bus from the Go Bus company collided at 11.30am.
Deacon said five children, aged between about 2 and 7, were travelling on the bus during a "day out" with an adult who was mum to three and looking after the other two.
Deacon said the mum was injured in the crash as she tried to protect the children.
"She protected the baby with her own arm, so she had some quite bad bruising."
One child on the bus was sent to hospital to be assessed, Deacon said.
"[The child] was sucking on an ice-block so looked reasonable content, but was quiet, and had gone skidding along the floor of the bus, so went to hospital to be checked."
