CROSSING SMASH

Evening Star, Issue 25419, 26 February 1945, Page 4

CROSSING SMASH

EXPRESS HITS EMPTY BUS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 26. • The Wairarapa express leaving Wellington at 7.50 this morning ran into an empty railway school bus proceeding to collect school children at Andrew s crossing, near Belmont. The bus caught fire and the front of the railway engine was badly damaged. The track here, is single and in consequence down trams from Upper Hutt bringing people to work had to transfer them to .buses sent to pick them up. The express was unable to proceed owing to damage to the line. , , _ _ _ The driver of the bus, C. T. Bevan, sustained severe cuts on the head, but his condition is not thought, to be serious. The driver of the engine, ,Q. ,T. Barraclough, fractured Jus wrist. Both were taken to-the Hutt Hospital. Bevan was either thrown clear or jumped - off the bus at the cattle stop, but managed to crawl through a fence amongst some gorse, where he was found. The engine driver jumped down to assist when he fractured his wrist.The bus was carried up the line db&tt after the collision. It burst into flames immediately it was disengaged from the engine and burnt with intense heat, expanding .the rails, which had to be straightened before normal traffic could be resumed.