Weekend road toll rises to three

Photo / APN

A fatal crash this afternoon has taken the road toll for the weekend to three.

Inspector Ben Offner, of the Northern Communications Centre, said a 37-year-old man was killed when the vehicle he was in rolled in Wily Road, Puni, in the Franklin district. The man was pronounced dead on arrival at Middlemore Hospital.

A 34-year-old woman and a 12-year-old child who were also in the vehicle are in Middlemore with non life-threatening injuries, Mr Offner said.

Earlier today, police named a 52-year-old motorcyclist killed in a collision at Leithfield, 42km north of Christchurch, yesterday.

He was Graeme Philip Lockie, from West Eyreton, in North Canterbury.

The crash happened about 12.30pm when Mr Lockie overtook a line of three cars travelling north on State Highway 1 and one of the cars legitimately turned right, Senior Constable Arnold Hooykaas, of Amberley police, said.

The family of four in the car were "generally okay", though the driver injured his arm.

Mr Lockie was one of two people killed on the nation's roads this weekend.

A 54-year-old man, named by the Herald on Sunday as Kousan Sadykov, died in south Auckland yesterday after being hit by his own car on the roadside of Church St, Otahuhu, about 3am, police said.

The driver, the only person in the car, knew the man, Detectives Senior Sergeant Albie Alexander said.

Police were speaking to the driver and other witnesses, he said.

"Inquiries are continuing and I can't rule out charges being laid down the track once we have the facts and evidence before us."

Police would not confirm the man's identity.

- NZPA