Police name driver killed in Reporoa

Police have named the driver killed when he was thrown from his car in the Bay of Plenty yesterday.

Police were called to Longview Rd, near Reporoa, 42km south east of Rotorua at 9.45pm after the car was found in a paddock near a sharp corner.

Bruce William Grant, 30, from Reporoa, was the sole occupant, said Sergeant Andrew Lynch of Rotorua police.

He died as a result of injuries suffered from being thrown from the car. There was a high probability he could have survived if he was wearing a seatbelt, Mr Lynch said.

Alcohol and speed may have contributed to Mr Grant losing control of his car, he said.

- NZPA