Passers-by rush in to help victim

A Tauranga business owner is proud of two of his "boys" after they desperately tried to save a man fatally hit by a truck.

Grant Frederick Coley, 59, had been walking west on State Highway 2 near Ainsworth Rd about 7am yesterday when a light truck hit him. He had stepped out on the road in front of a Bay Hopper bus travelling to Omokoroa but the bus driver managed to avoid him. The driver braked sharply and a vehicle following it had to go around the bus and also avoided Mr Coley.

But a truck following behind the bus and car hit him.

Two workers from Plumbing Works came upon the crash and stopped to help until emergency services arrived, but Mr Coley died at the scene.

Plumbing Works owner Craig Coxhead said he was proud of his "boys".

"I'm very proud of my boys and that they were able to stop and assist. But with them handling the situation, they are quite young men so we gave them the day off," he told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.

"It's been upsetting for them but they were happy to help and put their first aid to good use."

Mr Coxhead said his plumbers and drainlayers were first-aid trained and he was grateful his staff had been able to help.

A nearby resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she got a phone call from her worried husband soon after the crash. She had not heard anything and went outside to see what had happened.

"There was a man by the road who asked me for a smoke. He was only a young dude and was pretty shaken up.

"He explained to me that he had been performing CPR on the guy who was hit until an ambulance turned up.

He said other people had been telling him to stop because the man was gone, but he kept going."

The woman said she felt sorry for the young man.

"He was so shaken up."

Police Sergeant Wayne Hunter said the truck driver and his passenger were "pretty upset" but uninjured.

The road was closed for about two hours and diversions were in place through Snodgrass and Armstrong Rds.

Police were looking for the driver of the vehicle behind the bus as that person may have useful witness information.

Anyone who may have information is asked to contact Tauranga police on 07 577 4300.