'Dead' jogger alive

A Japanese woman who was critically injured in Hamilton after colliding with a cyclist has not died as was reported by police yesterday.

Police said the woman had died from her injuries but this was incorrect and resulted from a communication breakdown.

The woman remains in Auckland Hospital with critical head injuries after being flown there from Waikato Hospital last week.

Hamilton area commander Inspector Paul Carpenter said there had been confusion in communications between Hamilton and Auckland police and Auckland Hospital and police in Hamilton understood the woman had died early yesterday morning.

The confusion was discovered this morning.

"This is a terrible mistake that should not have happened and we will be apologising to the family in person," Mr Carpenter said.

"In situations like this, there is a lot of information being sent from one location to another and it's important that the flow of information is consistent. In this case, that did not happen."


Waikato police spokeswoman Kris McGehan said the jogger's family had not been given the incorrect information that she had died. However, police would apologise to family that may have read media reports that she had died.


- NZPA