Crash turns trademark smile into rueful grin

Tim Shadbolt's trademark grin dropped when he revealed his high-profile car accident was caused by an errant sunglasses case.

Speaking at Southland Hospital, the Invercargill mayor joked that it was almost "death by distraction".

He said his sunglasses case came out of the side pocket and rolled under the brake and he tried to grab it.

"My foot slipped from the brake to the accelerator and 'voom', it just took off."

Yesterday, the Dancing with the Stars contestant was in the back-brace he will wear for three months.

The accident happened just after 9pm last Friday, south of Winton.

The 59-year-old was driving the mayoral VA Commodore Holden when it "fishtailed" through a bend and rolled into a ditch.

From travelling at about 70 km/h, the car stopped against an electric fence. Mr Shadbolt was unbelted by one of his passengers - artist Phil Newbury and student Matt Brophy - and found himself on the electric fence "getting a belt every three seconds".

He was taken to Southland Hospital and diagnosed with a bruised lung and two fractured vertebrae.

Orthopaedic surgeon David Whitehead said Mr Shadbolt was "very lucky indeed".

His injuries were common in car accidents but, if shifted, the spinal cord could be damaged and paralysis could result, Dr Whitehead said.

Mr Shadbolt said he had an unblemished driving record. He had never had an accident despite a mayoral travel schedule that took in 50,000km to 60,000km a year.

He said he had not been drinking and driving. He was returning to Invercargill from Frankton, where he and his passengers were supposed to meet the line producer for the Warner Brothers movie 10,000BC.

The meeting was cancelled and the men were disappointed.

The police investigation into the cause of the accident will take six to eight weeks.

- SOUTHLAND EXPRESS /OTAGO DAILY TIMES