Crash victim not in seatbelt

A motorist is dead after being thrown from a vehicle that crashed in eastern Bay of Plenty yesterday afternoon. The vehicle failed to take a sweeping bend in Waimana Gorge, southeast of Whakatane, and crashed into an embankment, Sergeant Ray Wylie said. The victim was not wearing a seatbelt.

A front-seat passenger and two young children in the back seat escaped with minor injuries. Mr Wylie said the death was particularly disappointing as the police were running a restraint campaign. "Seatbelts/restraints do save lives."