Greymouth couple's miracle escape as van crushed by boulder

Jess Kersten was seated in this van when a large boulder smashed into it yesterday. Photo / Supplied

A Greymouth woman had a remarkable escape yesterday morning when a large rock peeled off the unstable hillside at the northern end of the Cobden Bridge, crushing the van while she was still sitting inside.

Jess Kersten said she and her partner, Nathan Coll, had only briefly pulled to the side of State highway 6 to check the load on the trailer they were towing when a rock came tumbling down and slammed into the passenger's side.

"Nathan got out of the van to tie down the load on the trailer, then he called out, 'Jess watch out!' I had no idea what was going on. Nathan came around to the driver's side, opened the door, then ran away - I was just sitting there, then the rocks hit."

She said Mr Coll heard a noise first and when he looked up he saw a large rock - about half the size of their van - rolling down the cliff towards them.

The rock split as it rumbled down the hillside. Ms Kersten said she believed two had crashed on to the vehicle.

"Everything happened within a couple of seconds. I was extremely lucky. If I had been in a car it may have been a different story. Luckily for me, the van, was sturdy."

Ms Kersten said she went into shock, but was relieved she was able to walk away unscathed.

"When you look at the van, it's hard to believe I was not hurt," she said.

The area of the rockfall has been a troublesome spot over the years, and four years ago the New Zealand Transport Agency undertook substantial blasting to remove protruding rock and loose rock, and installed mesh against the cliff in an effort to stabilise the hillside.

- Greymouth Star