Crash cuts power, closes school | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

A St Matthews College student escaped serious injury, but unwittingly gave some younger students a half day off school after the car she was driving smashed into a power pole and cut power to nearby Fernridge School yesterday morning.

The girl, 16, was shaken and concussed after hitting the pole on her way to school yesterday at 8.07am and spent the day under observation at Wairarapa Hospital for suspected chest injuries.

The power pole was sheared at its base and shifted roughly 1.5 metres sideways but was held up by power cables, Masterton road policing Sergeant Chris Megaw said.

Mr Megaw said police were still investigating and the girl could face charges over the crash, which was yesterday being put down to "driver inattention".

Mr Megaw said she was "very lucky" to have escaped more serious injury.

Line company Powerco warned Fernridge principal Paul Adamson that power would be cut to the school from 11am.

The company offered the school a generator, which was declined under advice from the Ministry of Education because of fears over sewerage and sanitation.

Mr Adamson said factors in the decision to close the school included that it was not on town sewerage and because there was no hot water.

The school was shut just before 11am after staff contacted parents and caregivers using landlines, cellphones and local radio broadcasts to muster the children, in what Mr Adamson described as a "wonderful effort" by all involved.

Mr Adamson said of the 205 pupils on the roll, only 30 were left at the school either because their parents were working or because it wasn't urgent that they go home.

He said pupils had been unfazed by the partial day off; "they were quite happy - I think they found it quite novel."

Power was restored by 3pm.