An Auckland Indian family has been left reeling after their teenage daughter was hit by a bus yesterday (Tuesday July 21) and is now in a critical condition in hospital.
Shweta, 10, and Sharleen Chand, 5, are now praying for their big sister to be OK.
Family members told the sisters that 15-year-old Shateel had a "cut on her head" after being struck by a bus in Mt Wellington yesterday.
"We just say [in prayer] please help our sister," Shweta told the the New Zealand Herald yesterday from their grandparents' home.
She and Sharleen were looking forward to seeing their big sister who always looked out for them and was "really playful".
But this morning Shateel was still in a critical condition in Auckland City Hospital.
Speaking to the Herald from hospital, Shateel's father, Rakesh Chand, said more than a dozen friends and relatives were at her side, praying for her to pull through. He had been contacted by the bus company - Waka Pacific - but was too upset to talk.
"At the moment all I'm worried about is Shateel," he said.
Meanwhile, the bus driver has been suspended from duty while police investigate the incident.
Zane Fulljames, operations general manager of NZ Bus, said the company was also conducting its own inquiry. He said the driver was "very upset" and had been offered counselling.
He said initial reports the driver carried on with his route were inaccurate. He stayed at the scene until Shateel was stabilised and taken to hospital.
Crash investigators and police forensic experts are trying to piece together what happened. They say it could take several days to examine the scene, mechanically inspect the bus and talk to witnesses.
Shateel was crossing Penrose Rd to catch the bus to Auckland Girls' Grammar School - as she did every day about 7.30am - when she was hit by the westbound bus.
Several motorists pulled over and rushed to her aid - covering her with a blanket and phoning for help.
"The bus driver was out [of the bus] wanting to give assistance, but the ladies were very, very efficient, with blankets to cover her and their hazard lights flashing," said a motorist who didn't want to be identified.
Sergeant Matthew Ford of the Auckland city serious crash unit asked anyone who witnessed the crash, particularly a young boy who was the sole passenger on the bus, to contact him on (09) 359 3111.
He said police would interview the bus driver within the next couple of days.
Auckland Girls' Grammar School associate principal Di Hatch said Shateel's closest friends were told individually of the accident and all students informed in the last period.
The school had also been in touch with the Ministry of Education crisis team and was offering counselling and support to staff and students.
Milan Maharaj, 15, said she couldn't believe it when she heard her close friend had been in the accident.
"I saw police cars and a man told me that a 12-year-old girl was hit by a car and I was relieved it wasn't [Shateel] because I know she comes this way and because they said she was 12," she said.
Milan had spoken to Shateel on the phone the night before about joining her Indian dance class.
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