Pop star Daniel Bedingfield hurt in Whangarei smash

By BRIDGET CARTER

New Zealand-born pop star Daniel Bedingfield is in Whangarei Hospital with moderate injures after a car accident at Whangarei Heads yesterday.

Bedingfield was in a four-wheel-drive that rolled on Kauri Mountain Rd about 11am.

Police said a male was trapped in the vehicle with neck injuries, and Whangarei Hospital spokeswoman Alison Lees last night confirmed that the person was Bedingfield.

His parents were with him in hospital last night.

He is being kept there today and has asked for all media inquires to be dealt with through his manager.

Bedingfield, who is in New Zealand spending the holidays with his family, is famous for international number one hits Gotta Get Through This and If You're Not the One.

Although he was just three months old when he and his family first moved from New Zealand to England, Bedingfield maintains he is "very Kiwi".

He has previously said he has a New Zealand passport, his family are New Zealanders, he supports the All Blacks, drinks Lion Red and Monteith's and is a fan of New Zealand music.

A Whangarei firefighter who helped to rescue the singer said there were two men in the vehicle, both in their 20s.

They were driving towards Whangarei from Kauri Mountain Beach and seemed to have been staying out by the beach because there was a lot of gear in the car.

The driver, who was understood to be Bedingfield, appeared to have taken a corner too quickly in the gravel.

"I think they just came around the corner and lost it."

The car flipped and landed on its roof."