Husband run over - twice

A loving wife is teary and in shock after accidentally running over her husband - twice, a family member said.

Terry Telford is still in hospital after being struck by his wife Sandy's 4WD on Thursday morning.

The accident occurred while Sandy was reversing down a long gravel driveway at the couple's rural property in Opoutama, near Wairoa.

She was apparently unaware what happened and drove forward, striking her husband again, a spokesman for the Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter said.

The 69-year-old contractor was flown to Hawke's Bay Hospital with chest, back and head injuries.

"He's been well roughed up, as you'd expect," Telford's brother Mark Telford said.

His injuries were moderate, but "he's knocking on the back door of 70, so you don't recover from that like you're 20.

"It's just going to be a bit of a long road to recovery."

He said Sandy was very upset and teary.

"You can't help but be pretty knocked about by something like that happening.

"I'd say she's just in shock still, and probably will be for quite some time."

Mark said family members were upset that many had heard about the accident for the first time through the media.

Wairoa police Senior Sergeant Tony Bates said the thick gravel driveway might have had a cushioning effect and prevented more serious injuries.

The incident was being treated as an unfortunate accident.

Hawke's Bay driving instructor Ron Mawson said it sounded "very unusual" for him to have been hit twice.

But he said New Zealanders were generally poor at using their side mirrors when reversing. "It's quite an art, backing with mirrors, but everybody should have to do it."

Mawson didn't think the 4WD vehicle was a factor.

"All vehicles have their blind spots, the driver needs to look and check there's nobody in the drive."

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: HAWKE'S BAY TODAY