Boat ramp ramming leaves man critical

Photo / File

A man critically injured after he was rammed by a vehicle at a boat ramp was in intensive care last night.

The injured man, Troy Hughes, 48, is well know to anglers and boaties in Waiuku. He lives in Awahitu-Waiuku with his wife.

The incident happened at the Elbow Rd boat ramp in Aka Aka, near Waiuku, at about 5pm on Monday.

A man, also aged 48, appeared in Pukekohe District Court charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and will reappear again this morning.

A Waiuku fisherman, who did not want to be named, said his niece was among a small group of people who found the victim in agony and bleeding profusely after the accident.

He understood the driver of the vehicle fled the ramp in a boat before police caught him.

A friend of the victim said: "Boat ramps can get a bit testy at times but I think there's more behind this than somebody hogging the ramp".

He described his mate as "an extremely experienced boatie".

"He's not one who doesn't understand ramp etiquette or anything like that," the friend said.

The area is one of the best whitebaiting spots in the Waikato.

The ramp at the end of Elbow Rd provides access to Waikato river islands including Motutieke and the Kaiwakas.

An Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesman said they responded to the incident about 5.35pm on Monday.

The victim had substantial leg trauma and was transported to Middlemore hospital in a critical condition.

"He was in an awful lot of pain ... It appeared the injuries were predominantly to one of his legs," the spokesman said.

Last night, a Middlemore Hospital spokeswoman said the man was now in a stable condition in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Police Northern Communications Shift Inspector Andy Brill said the ambulance staff were called to the incident on Elbow Rd in Aka Aka, just after 5pm.

They had received reports that a car had hit a pedestrian, but on further investigation, police became aware that the incident may have been intentional, Mr Brill said.