A 45-year-old Horeke man died when he lost control of the four-wheel-drive vehicle he was driving on State Highway 1 at Pamapuria on Tuesday afternoon. He was Reuben Anthony Murray.
A Kaitaia Fire Brigade spokesman described the crash as traumatic for those who saw it, witnesses to the aftermath including Pamapuria School children, who lined the fence immediately adjacent to the scene as efforts were made to revive the man who died, until teachers ushered them away. A police spokesman said the children would be visited by Ministry of Education officials, whose role would include emphasising the need to wear safety belts.
Meanwhile emergency services arrived to find the driver and three younger male passengers, who were taken to Kaitaia Hospital with injuries that police believed not to be life-threatening, out of the vehicle, which was on its roof on the edge of the southbound lane, opposite the Pamapuria Store. The other vehicle involved, a car driven by a 54-year-old local man with a 42-year-old female passenger, who were badly shaken but not hurt, was parked some distance away on the opposite side of the road, with damage to the right front corner.
The scene was examined by the Serious Crash Unit from Whangarei, but it was believed that both vehicles had been travelling north, the four-wheel-drive passing the car as it began turning right in to the Pamapuria School parking area. The four-wheel drive spun 90 degrees then rolled up to eight times before coming to rest on its roof. One witnesses described seeing the driver thrown out of the vehicle.
The deceased was believed to have been unrestrained, although his passengers had reportedly been wearing seatbelts.
The crash left debris scattered over 100 metres of highway.
Two Kaitaia Fire Brigade appliances attended, the crews rendering first aid to the victims and CPR to the injured driver until staff from Kaitaia Hospital arrived, with a police officer, a doctor confirming that the 45-year-old man had died. A St John ambulance crew from Doubtless Bay also responded, while a number of local people and other motorists assisted at the scene until emergency services arrived.
The highway was closed from Fairburn Road to Takahue Road for more than three hours, traffic being diverted via Ruaroa Road. The section of highway outside the school, which is open road, is signposted as a school zone but is not controlled by a gazetted speed limit of less than 100km/h.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash to contact the Kaitaia station on (09) 408-6500.