Safety concerns raised after death

A car crashed into a concrete power pole in Oropi on Sunday.

Oropi Rd residents are calling for extra safety measures following the death of 2-year-old girl who died after the car she was a passenger in hit a power pole and careered through a fence.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said Western Bay of Plenty District Council had been warned many times over the years about the dangers associated with the corner.

Police say the driver of the Nissan failed to negotiate a left-hand bend near Castles Rd, hit a concrete power pole, went through a fence and ended up in a farm paddock full of cows about 7.45pm on Sunday.

Attempts to save the girl who was seated in a rear left side of the car in a child restraint were unsuccessful, the driver did not suffer any injuries but was taken to Tauranga Hospital.

Head of Western Bay road policing, Senior Sergeant Ian Campion, said police inquiries into the crash were continuing, and he would not be drawn on the preliminary findings.

It was too early to comment on whether any charges were pending and the name of the child was expected to be released in the coming days, he said.

The resident said the corner along with the next one down were "notorious for accidents" and while many crashes had been minor, there had also been several major ones in recent years.

"Dozens of times" vehicles had crashed through her farm fence and it was all too familiar sight to see skid marks, scuffed banks, broken fences and upside down cars in paddocks. On this occasion the car came to rest about 200-300 metres from her house.

Installing a barrier should at least be investigated, the woman said. An elderly resident said he had lived in the area for 10 years and on at least three occasions vehicles had gone through his fence, and he would like to see the speed limit reduced to 80 km/h.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council transportation manager Alex Finn said this stretch of road had been ranked as one of the two more dangerous in the district due to a number of issues, which included "quite a number" of motorists leaving the road and ending up in paddocks.

Council engineers were at the scene yesterday to assess the road conditions, and were due to report back in the coming days, Mr Finn said.