Eyewitness: Ambulances attend patient death at Moerewa

Ambulance vs power pole, Morewa, State Highway 1. 21 July 2015 Northern Advocate Photograph by Michael Cunningham

An eyewitness to a fatal crash involving an ambulance in Northland this morning says two other ambulances were on the scene shortly after the smash.

Neighbours in Moerewa sat on their front door steps and leaned over their garden fences and watched as emergency services surveyed the crash scene this morning.

The front left hand side of the ambulance was crushed after hitting a power pole in the main street. The pole was being supported by a crane on the back of a TopEnergy flat deck truck. Concrete from the pole had crumbled into a pile at the base.

Moerewa resident Beryl Vaughan said she was baking a cake when she saw the ambulance crash. The pole is on the corner of her section and only about 10m from her lounge.

"I was baking a cake and had Paul Henry on the television ... He was making me laugh. Then I noticed the flickering lights and looked outside and saw two ambulances.

"They smashed into the power pole and everything went black. The power went out straight away."

Ms Vaughan said the following ambulance stopped and a short time later a third arrived. She noticed three fire appliances and at least five police vehicles. "And then the helicopter landed."

Three St John staff were flown to Whangarei Hospital, one with a suspected broken arm.
Another resident Anthony Dunn said he was woken by the helicopter hovering over his house.

"I didn't hear the crash but when I went out I saw why the helicopter was there. The ambulance had smashed into a pole."

Police had diversions in place so the helicopter landed on State Highway 1 and loaded the three patients.

At 10am power had not been restored and candles were being used for light in the Moerewa Four Square store.

The owner was selling necessities such as milk and bread to the locals and taking cash only as the till and eftpos machine were not operating. Candles flickered in the aisles to help shoppers.