There are pleas to improve the safety of a rail crossing where a beloved bus driver was killed.
June Ann Eynon, 63, of Feilding, died after the school bus she was driving struck the side of a moving train at an intersection near Bunnythorpe, 12 kilometres from Palmerston North, on Wednesday morning.
Her identity was confirmed in a death notice published in the Manawatū Standard on Friday, by funeral directors William Cotton and Sons. She is formally of Whanganui, according to her Facebook profile.
Eynon was driving a regular route between Palmerston North and Feilding and on a daily school run, carrying students to Feilding High School. She would also return them to the city in the afternoon.
She was driving her normal vehicle, a Uzabus-operated 2009 MCV Evolution bus known by fleet number 532.
Eynon occasionally also drove runs to and from Palmerston North Boys' High School and Palmerston North Girls' High School, as well as the Feilding–Palmerston North bus service during school hours.
Many of the 40 passengers had to be assisted from the bus, among them Feilding High School students. Seven passengers required hospital care for minor injuries.
While bus commuters, friends and former colleagues have been paying tribute to Eynon on social media and on an online memorial website, those who live near the crossing of Railway Rd and Clevely Line are demanding safety improvements.
"It is a bad intersection to navigate for cars, let alone buses," said resident Robyn Curtis, who had lived on Parrs Rd, that runs parallel to Clevely Line, for four and a half years.
"The whole crossing is just dangerous, and I am really cross about it."
Eynon had worked for Uzabus for four years. At a ceremony at the crash site on Wednesday night, husband Henry Eynon said it was a blessing no children had been seriously hurt. It would have been June's one wish that they be protected.
Numerous tributes on Facebook have described June Eynon as a friendly and compassionate woman, eager to strike up a conversation with passengers and provide a free fare for someone in need.
"She was an amazing bus driver. She loved her job and all the kids she took with her," posted Tayla Perenara.
Mark Wasley was often a passenger on Eynon's bus.
"June was very well known, not just by the school students, but by regular passengers and particularly Feilding's elder residents, being a senior herself," said Wasley. "Passengers had gratitude for June, were on a first-name basis with her and she was always kind to them."
"That particular bus involved in the collision was her bus. On holidays such as Easter and Christmas, it would always be decorated and spread some cheer to passengers. June would also dress in festive attire.
"June would also frequently sing the songs on the bus radio, tuned to the Magic radio station.
"My sympathies are with June's family, her friends, colleagues and the passengers who were on board the bus at the time of the accident, as well as their families. She will be sorely missed, but died doing what she loved."
Feilding High School student Caleb Parsons was on the bus at the time of the collision and described on Facebook the moment Eynon hit the train.
"Never shall I ever forget the moment of looking over and talking followed by the immense screaming and yelling that followed as the bus crashed and the glass then shattered," posted Parsons.
He said none of the other passengers and students will forget the incident.
"Us students were very lucky, despite the trauma, the phobia, the intrusive thoughts and whatnot that may occur."
He characterised Eynon as "a lovely, kind lady and so much more".
"She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a bus driver," said Parsons.
"June was to give us a smile as we boarded the bus or would have kind conversations with us, make jokes and she has now passed away in a tragically sad event.
"May you rest in peace June, no one deserves the way you passed [on Wednesday]. My support and love goes out to her family and friends."
Eynon was familiar with both the route and the children on board, company director Justin Allan said.
"It's been a huge shock for everyone here. We're a pretty close-knit team, so to have something like this happen is quite devastating," said Allan on Thursday.
Several friends and former colleagues paid tribute to Eynon on Legacy.com, an online memorial website linked to her obituary.
Karen's daughter also travelled on Eynon's bus to school each day.
"So sorry this happened. My daughter was on the bus that morning and is devastated, as am I," posted Karen. "June was kind and caring and always happy to wait if a student was running a little late... I am very grateful she took such great care of my daughter every morning."
Regan Anderson remembered Eynon as "a lovely lady... kind, caring and compassionate" who "loved her job and would always have a chat to you".
He recalled Eynon in festive attire in the lead up to Christmas last year.
"She saw me walk by her bus in Palmerston [North]. She stopped and had a chat to me and wished me a good Christmas and New Year. She was dressed up in [a] Christmas-themed outfit complete with reindeer ears," said Anderson.
Carl Robinson was a former colleague and friend of Eynon, also driving the Feilding–Palmerston North bus service. He and his wife sent their sympathies to Henry Eynon.
"June was a workmate and friend. So many of her passengers became firm friends, that was the way June was," said Robinson. "RIP my friend, you will be sadly missed."
Adrian Holloway also worked with June Eynon.
"A lovely lady and a great workmate. I'll miss you in the smoko room on Wednesday mornings and your cheery wave in the bus terminus. [My] deepest sympathy for Henry and your family. May you rest in peace," said Holloway.
Others stated Eynon previously was a bus driver for Kiwitea School and a volunteer at the Salvation Army Family Store in Feilding.
Curtis said she was upset and angry when she learned of the crash and the bus driver's death.
She had complained to Palmerston North City Council a number of times about the absence of a turning lane for traffic crossing the railway tracks and the 100kph speed limit being too high.
"There is such limited space to get up [to] the railway line to get over the tracks themselves... There needs to at least be a turning lane, but it's falling on deaf ears."
First responder Kevin McCord, who lived near the crossing and was with Eynon when she died, said the road was horrendous, and Palmerston North man Ian Franklin said its hazards extended beyond the intersection.
For motorists on Railway Rd, traffic continuing on Clevely Line would fly out from the left-hand side before a sharp right, leaving Railway Rd traffic going straight ahead stranded with nowhere to go.
The police serious crash unit, Uzabus and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission have opened investigations into the cause of the crash. Senior Sergeant Phil Ward said sun strike could have been a factor.
Palmerston North City Council chief executive Heather Shotter said the collision on Wednesday was tragic and the council's thoughts were with the family, friends and colleagues of the driver and school children.
A change to the speed limit in and around this intersection was not included in the council's speed limit bylaw review. A temporary speed limit change could only be implemented for the purpose of undertaking road works or if the road surface was deemed unsafe, she said.
"We are, however, open to discussing speed limit change options with the police as part of their investigation."
The council has received one complaint about the intersection in the past two years.
The bus service is run by Horizons Regional Council, contracting drivers and buses in from Uzabus.
The route between Palmerston North and Feilding was mapped by its proximity to communities and businesses, manoeuvring and safety for passengers getting on and off the bus, Horizons transport manager Rhonda Hewitt said.
According to the New Zealand Transport Agency's crash maps, there was a fatal crash on the same stretch of road in 2011.
Eynon is survived by her husband, Henry, children, grandchildren, sisters Lyndsey, Dawn and Rhonda.
Funeral service details are to be advised, William Cotton and Sons said.
Source: Manawatū Standard
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