A man was seen walking in the middle of the road in the dark on SH23 in Raglan before he was fatally struck by a car.
A man was seen walking in the middle of the road in the dark on SH23 in Raglan before he was fatally struck by a car.
An aunty of a driver involved in the fatal State Highway 23 incident that left a dog walker dead in Raglan, claims the tragedy happened due to a delayed police response.
Police said their response was not prioritised as they received information the person had moved off the road, and there was no longer an immediate risk to safety.
The woman, who does not want to be named, also told Waikato Herald that the vehicles of interest to police never left the accident scene and remained in place until officers arrived.
Police launched an investigation after the man was found dead on SH23 between Te Mata Rd and Nau Mai Rd on Wednesday at about 6.55pm.
They believed he was struck by a moving vehicle while walking his dog. His dog survived.
The aunty said police were called multiple times when he was seen on the road in “daylight” and claimed he’d been seen at least two hours before the fatality.
“People were saying they were calling police about the man ... it took those cars to hit him and for him to die to have police respond. That’s just really dumb,” she said.
“Some people asked him if he was okay, some I guess were scared but at the end of the day, this man kept walking in the middle of the road and police ... no matter how many calls they got, they did not respond until he was hit.
“If the police had turned up when called, he could have been alive today.”
She said she wouldn’t hold the drivers accountable for the accident.
“Why would you walk in the middle of a busy road as people drive over 100km/h, with no hi-vis, no nothing? Unfortunately, he got hit. I’m sorry and condolences to the family, but ... you don’t hold these people responsible because it isn’t their fault,” the aunty said.
“Anyone could have hit him and I’m sorry for the ones who did ... police were called several times and they didn’t come until he was dead. Police are at fault.
“It’s traumatising for the drivers involved, it was just a freakish accident that wouldn’t have happened if police came.”
The aunty emphasised that the vehicles of interest are with the police.
“Nobody ran away, the cars are at the police station and the people who did it have been looked at by police doing their investigation. They stood there waiting for police to come.”
Today, police told Waikato Herald they received several reports from about 5pm on September 4 of a man being seen walking with a dog on SH23.
“Police then received information the person had moved off the road, and a response was not prioritised due to there no longer being an immediate risk to safety,” a police spokesperson said.
“About 6.45pm, further reports were received that he was again sighted on the road, and then at 6.55pm police received a report that a crash had occurred.”
Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing and police are still appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage.
RNZ reported that a woman called police twice to report the man on SH23, and the third time she called was after the collision.
She has now lodged a complaint with the Independent Police Conduct Authority saying: “I told the operator this had happened because you guys didn’t get anyone here in time.”
