Rider fighting for his life

Police are working to discover what caused this motorbike to crash into a tree in a Havelock North street yesterday.

A 20-year-old man is fighting for his life in hospital after the motorcycle he was riding crashed into a tree on a suburban road in Havelock North yesterday.

Police reports said the incident would have occurred about 10.35am on Lipscombe Cres, when the young man crashed a Suzuki trail bike into the tree.

He was treated by ambulance staff at the scene and then taken to Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital in Hastings in a critical condition with multiple injuries.

Police sergeant Clint Adamson said the man was wearing a helmet, but the force of the impact caused it to come off and he was thrown through the air, landing on the footpath without it. "The fact the helmet has come off tends to suggest it was not secured properly."

The police serious crash unit was investigating, but piecing together what happened was difficult because initially it appeared there were no people out on the street who saw the bike.

"Neighbours and people in the community have heard the bike zipping around the street earlier. They heard the crash happen, they heard a big bang and then ran outside to find the man on the ground already."

Police hoped if there were any witnesses, they would come forward to share information on the crash.

"The serious crash unit is looking at the scene and will be able to discover a little bit by looking at how far the man was thrown from the bike.

"They will have a look at the damage done to the bike but whether that will be enough to give them a definite decision, we're not sure at this stage."

Police would like to talk to anyone who had seen the motorcycle earlier yesterday morning.

Witnesses can call the Hawke's Bay police on 06 8730500 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.