Bay teen hurt in quad bike accident

The spike in quad bike incidents has led to renewed calls for better safety around bike use. Photo / Thinkstock

A teenage boy has been injured in a quad bike crash in the Western Bay.

St John Ambulance staff rushed to the scene on Matakana Island about 10.45pm on Tuesday to find one had rolled on a 15-year-old boy.

TECT Trustpower Rescue Helicopter pilot Todd Dunham said the boy was riding home along a road when an oncoming car's headlights blinded him.

"Next thing he had been tossed from his bike," he said.

The boy suffered back pain and was stabilised by St John paramedics before being flown to Tauranga Hospital.

He was not seriously injured but was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter was called to airlift a Matamata farmer to hospital.

Nathan Cleverley, 40, had been injured when his quad bike rolled on top of him 17 hours earlier but had been unable to go for help.

He was taken to Waikato Hospital with serious abdominal and pelvic injuries.

These accidents follow a spate of quad bike crashes over the Christmas holidays, including two fatalities.

The spike in quad bike incidents has led to renewed calls for better safety around bike use.