Helmet 'may have saved life'

Police and a volunteer firefighter at yesterday's fatal crash in Omapere. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Failing to wear a helmet while riding a motor scooter may have cost the life of a Northland woman.

The 42-year-old, from South Hokianga, died after her scooter veered off the road at a moderate right-hand bend on State Highway 12, Omapere, about 9.30am yesterday. She was thrown from the bike when it hit the edge of a driveway and struck her head on a tree.

The accident occurred directly outside Globetrekkers Lodge and just a few hundred metres west of Opononi Area School.

Senior Constable Jeff Cramp, of Rawene police, said it appeared the rider had overshot a corner and travelled across a grass verge until her bike, a 50cc Eurojet, tipped on a driveway edge and she was thrown off. Her head had hit the base of a cabbage tree.

Speed was not a factor - she had been travelling about 50km/h - but she was not wearing a helmet, he said.

"It's a reminder that wearing a safety helmet when riding a motorbike is the minimum essential requirement. A helmet does more than just protect your skull and face. It also absorbs the impact and pressure, so there's less chance of breaking your neck. The helmet's there for a lot of reasons," he said.

It was not clear what had made her leave the road in the first place. There was no sign of braking. A specialist investigator from the police Serious Crash Unit spent the afternoon examining the accident site.

A doctor who happened to be driving past was one of the first on the scene. Despite the efforts of the doctor, St John medics and volunteers from the Omapere Fire Brigade, the woman could not be revived. Firefighters prepared a rescue helicopter landing site at the nearby Copthorne Hotel but it was not required.

Police will not release the woman's name until next of kin have been notified.

Posting on the Advocate's Facebook page yesterday, a cousin wrote: "Your beautiful soul has been taken way too early. RIP our beautiful songstress. You will be missed."