Manurewa death: Man run over by own vehicle at Frances St building site - project manager

A man died at the entrance to this residential building site in South Auckland this morning. Photo / Cherie Howie

Workers tried desperately to move a van off a construction foreman after he was run over by his own vehicle in Manurewa this morning, but the man died at the scene, a project manager says.

The married father of two grown daughters and a son - who worked alongside his father - was opening the gates to a building site in Frances St just before 8am when the tragedy occurred, project manager Vicky Sharma said.

Sharma - who manages the six-house residential development for Rise & Shine Developments, and which is accessed by opening two separate gates - wasn’t at the scene but had spoken to several who were.

“The guy was alone driving his van …and the full crew was coming there to work on that site, 8 to 10 people, and he was the main foreman. He was right at the front.

“I heard from the crew there, one van was right behind him waiting for him to open the gate … when he saw him coming under the van, that second guy tried to save him, but he couldn’t, then he called 111.

“That person was dealing with the police, I couldn’t talk to him and I didn’t want to talk to him at this stage. He was so upset.”

Emergency services were called to Frances St, Manurewa, just before 8am. Photo / Cherie Howie

Eight to 10 workers in three or four vans who arrived at the scene immediately after the tragedy also tried to pull the man out from under the van, Sharma said.

“[But] they couldn’t do anything. They couldn’t lift the van.”

The man’s son usually worked alongside his father, but Sharma didn’t know if the son was there this morning.

Family arrived at the scene before the man’s body was taken away in a hearse just before 10am.

Earlier three fire engines, several police cars and a St John ambulance could be seen, which blocked residents’ vehicle access to the dead-end street for two hours.

People could be seen sitting on a grass verge opposite the building site, some wailing, as the hearse drove away.

People support each other after a man died in Frances St, Manurewa, this morning. Photo / Cherie Howie

Police later confirmed the man died at the scene and they had contacted WorkSafe.

“Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are under way.”

The man who died was about 55 to 60-years-old and a member of the Fijian-Indian Muslim community, Sharma said.

He understood the man was also a grandfather.

“We were just talking about him. He was a gem of a person.”

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.