Victims of SH1 crashes named

Police have named the man who died in a head on crash on State Highway One at Karapiro yesterday.

He was Ian Thomas Grice, 68, of Hamilton.

Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman said the cause of the crash was unknown but Mr Grice's hatchback had collided with a station wagon on a bend in the road.

Police have also named the truck driver killed in a fatal crash near Te Kauwhata yesterday.

He was Cory James La Master, 35, of Hawera.

State Highway One was closed for several hours yesterday morning after Mr La Master's truck smashed through a barrier and caught fire at about 12.50am. Police said the truck had veered off Hall Rd and crashed through the barrier, 16km north of Huntly.

Sergeant Juliet Burgess of the Huntly traffic unit said yesterday that the truck came to rest on its side in a shallow ditch.

Mr Tooman said these latest tragedies took the District's road toll to 11 compared to 7 for the same period last year.

"In the case of these latest crashes there are no similarities, it's a case of the road is a dangerous place and drivers need to have their wits about them at all times, not just in case they make a mistake but in case the other fellah does as well," Mr Tooman said.

- NZHERALD STAFF