FATALITY: Masterton woman Shirley Theresa Annette Mareikura, known as Kizzy, died after being thrown from a car on SH2 at Mt Bruce. PHOTO/ANDREW BONALLACK
FATALITY: Masterton woman Shirley Theresa Annette Mareikura, known as Kizzy, died after being thrown from a car on SH2 at Mt Bruce. PHOTO/ANDREW BONALLACK
The partner of a Masterton woman killed after being thrown from a vehicle which crashed on Mt Bruce says he waited in vain for hours at his home in Eketahuna for her to arrive.
Shirley Theresa Annette Mareikura, 44, known as Kizzy, died at the scene of the single-car crash 700m south of the summit of Mt Bruce on Wednesday night, when the Toyota Starlet she was a passenger in hit the left side of the bank, veered across the road and flipped onto its roof.
Her partner of five years, Andrew O'Regan, said he knew something was wrong when he heard the fire siren sound in Eketahuna at about 7.20pm.
"I knew straight away. I don't know how I knew, I just knew. I rang everybody thinking there's something wrong, there's something wrong."
It was not until the morning when a friend called that he learned of her death.
A familiar figure around town, she would be remembered as a giving woman with a "heart of gold". "She never expected anything from anyone, it was always for someone else, never for her."
Masterton Traffic Policing Sergeant Chris Megaw said it was not clear if she was wearing a seatbelt, but "probably not, due to being thrown from the vehicle".
People from a passing vehicle, believed to be from Petone, were first on the scene and performed CPR while calling emergency services.
Emergency services used CPR to try to revive Ms Mareikura, but without success.
Life Flight's Westpac rescue helicopter circled overhead but was recalled to Wellington without touching down.
Shirley Theresa Annette Mareikura, in 2004.
The 25-year-old driver from Masterton, a friend of Ms Mareikura's, was taken to Wairarapa Hospital with minor injuries.
He was discharged after spending several hours under observation.
The road was closed for over three hours while the Serious Crash Unit from Wellington carried out a scene examination to establish the cause of the crash.
Eketahuna Fire Chief Max Mayer, who attended the crash, said there had been "a decent number of accidents" on that stretch of road over the years, but was unsure what caused people to crash.
"It's just one of those mysterious pieces of road that seems to claim a few victims."
In September 2013, 17-year-old Kane Thomas O'Donovan of Pahiatua crashed his car just metres from the scene of Wednesday night's crash.
He died in the ambulance on the way to Wairarapa Hospital.
In June 2011, Northland father Horihau Simon died after the campervan he was driving collided with a bank on Mt Bruce.
