Emergency services are at the scene of the fatal crash at the intersection of Hewletts Rd and Aerodrome Rd, Mount Maunganui. Photo / Cameron Avery
Emergency services are at the scene of the fatal crash at the intersection of Hewletts Rd and Aerodrome Rd, Mount Maunganui. Photo / Cameron Avery
Police have named a man killed in a crash between a car and a truck in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday.
It comes as the national holiday road toll hit 11 on Friday, including Thursday’s fatal crash on the Kaimai Range.
In a statement on Friday, police named Brayden Tawa, 27, of Pāpāmoa, as the person killed in a crash at the intersection of Aerodrome Rd and Hewletts Rd/State Highway 2 on Wednesday night.
Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter told the Bay of Plenty Times the cause of the crash was still being investigated.
Hunter said Tawa was the front-seat passenger in the car. The male driver was taken to hospital for observation. A backseat passenger was also taken to hospital and discharged himself on Thursday.
SH29 over the Kaimai Range was closed on Thursday after a fatal crash involving a petrol tanker and a car. Image / Google Maps
A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said they were notified of the collision at 12.16pm and a rescue helicopter, two ambulances, a rapid response unit and a manager attended.
“We assessed and treated two patients, and the one in a critical condition was flown to Waikato Hospital and another in a serious condition was transported to Tauranga Hospital by road.”
Fire and Emergency shift manager Mau Barbara said fire crews from the Tauranga, Greerton, Tīrau and Putāruru stations had attended the crash.
Barbara said at least one person had been trapped, another person was out of their vehicle being attended to by ambulance staff and a child had been taken to Tauranga Hospital.
The official road toll period started on December 22 and runs until January 3. On Friday afternoon it stood at 11 nationwide.
According to the Ministry of Transport’s latest data, on Friday afternoon, the provisional road death toll for 2023 was 334. Of that number, 31 deaths occurred in December.
The Bay of Plenty police district had recorded 36 fatal crashes this year, with seven in December so far.
The Ministry of Transport’s road fatality data is updated daily.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
Maryana Garcia is a regional reporter writing for the Rotorua Daily Post and the Bay of Plenty Times. She covers local issues, health and crime.
