The wrong turn tragedy: How one wrong turn in Muriwai cost a man his life

Emergency services tried to save Hong Kong man Yan Tin O after his car rolled on top of him. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust

A wrong turn led to tragedy for a Hong Kong family visiting Muriwai when their car rolled on top of them, killing Hong Kong national Yan Tin O.

It should have been a pleasant trip to the popular west coast beach but when the trio took a wrong turn down a long, steep driveway, last Friday became a day they would never forget.

They turned down a long winding driveway, probably mistaking it for a public road.

A neighbour said many people became lost after mistakenly thinking the driveway was a public road.

When the Hong Kong family realised their mistake, they tried to turn the car around but became stuck.

Yan and his father got out to try to free the car but somehow it rolled on top of them.

Emergency services tried to save Hong Kong man Yan Tin O after his car rolled on top of him. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust

The family's screams alerted neighbours in the area to their plight.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, rushed to help after hearing the yelling from his property on the long driveway off Oaia Rd in the West Auckland beach suburb.

He arrived to find three helpers already at the scene, one of whom had heard yelling.

Together the group rolled the car — at that point right side up — off the two men, the neighbour said.

As others started CPR on Yan, the neighbour comforted the older man.

The older man, aged in his 60s, had a severely broken leg but managed to stay calm during the ordeal.

"He said he was from Hong Kong. He was pretty calm . . . [but] he wanted to know how his son was."

The neighbour also took a turn performing CPR on the younger man, to no avail.

"There was nothing."

A woman in the car, believed to be Yan's mother, was unharmed but inconsolable.

The older man was flown to hospital but Auckland Rescue Helicopter staff said Yan was dead at the scene by the time they arrived.

Crewman and co-pilot Aaron Knight said he had never heard of another accident like it.

"Vehicles roll over but it's normally from losing control and all occupants are inside of the vehicle. The only other things like this would be a tractor rolling on a farm," he said.

"By the sounds of it a family in the area were a bit lost.

"They went down a private driveway with several sections, they have become stuck after going to turn around.

"Two of the occupants pushed the vehicle. It pulled back and rolled on top of them."