Family see loved one killed on SH2 blackspot

An Auckland family watched in horror as a car careered across the road and collided head-on with a car driven by their husband and father.

The 37-year-old was one of two people killed in a four-car pile-up in north Waikato yesterday. The other victim was a 21-year-old woman from Tauranga.

A 3-month-old baby and another young woman were last night critically ill in hospital after the accident on State Highway 2 at Mangatawhiri.

The dead man, who has not been identified, was being followed in convoy by his wife, two children and a friend with her child.

"It was a pretty horrific scene and the family are obviously fairly traumatised at the moment," said Senior Sergeant Rob Arnold, of Pukekohe Police.

The accident happened at about 12.15pm when a north-bound car, carrying two women and a baby, lost control and spun across the centre-line. The passenger died at the scene.

The south-bound vehicle it hit "T-boned", killing the driver.

Police, ambulance and fire services all attended the scene and one person had to be cut free from a car.

The baby and young woman were flown to Middlemore hospital suffering severe head injuries.

 

"This is two people dead here before we've even started the holiday period when we were aiming for a fatal-free break," Mr Arnold said. "It could not have started any worse."

He said it was a reminder that people had to drive to the conditions of the road and had to wear seat-belts at all times.

The road between Pokeno and Maramarua was closed for four hours as a clean-up operation got under way. Traffic was gridlocked, but efforts to put diversions in place were hampered by the condition of surrounding roads in the severe weather.

Mike Finnegan was driving south-bound directly behind the car that was first hit.

He slammed on the brakes and turned, avoiding the car in front, but hitting the car that crossed the centre-line.

"The front of my car is smashed up, but I'm lucky to be OK. It could easily have been me," he said.

The accident is the latest in many on the notorious blackspot stretch of road between the Bombay Hills and the Thames turn-off.

Historian Michael King is one of more than 30 people who have been killed on the road in the past five years. Its crash rate is 40 per cent higher than the national average for highways of its type.

Road safety authorities are planning a 7.2km bypass to get rid of the danger zone, but it is not due for at least another four years.