Double tragedy hits NZ Post drivers

New Zealand Post was just about to inform its staff about the accident which killed a delivery driver when it learned another staff member had died on the road yesterday morning.

At 9am, as company bosses were about to announce the death of driver Peter Harland, they got the news that CourierPost driver Colleen Jackson had just died in a car accident.

Mrs Jackson had been heading south along State Highway 1 towards Tirau just before 7am when a north-bound Holden collided with her station wagon head on.

The 48-year-old Hamilton woman was killed instantly. The 48-year-old driver of the Holden, Vybert Michael Bhaskaran, died soon after.

Constable Jaks Polyblank said Mr Bhaskaran had driven from Opotiki and had three other people in his car, including his eight-year-old son who was sitting in the front seat.

The boy was not badly injured but the two backseat passengers were taken to Waikato Hospital. One, a 19-year-old woman, was flown by the Westpac Air Ambulance in a critical condition.

NZ Post spokesman Ian Long said Mrs Jackson had worked as a courier driver in the Waikato for 18 years and was "well liked by customers and colleagues".

Her death came as the company was coming to grips with Mr Harland's death on Friday night.

The 53-year-old father of four had been driving through Mangaweka, south of Taihape, when it is believed a rental car carrying two Singapore tourists crossed the centre line and collided with his truck.

The truck flipped, slid 50m down a bank and into a creek.

Mr Long said staff were shocked by the tragic loss.

"The thing with both of these is that it appears to be tragic accidents so we are advising staff to just support and care for each other, especially over the Christmas period."

Counselling has been offered to the families of Mrs Jackson and Mr Harland and to NZ Post staff.