Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Angel at the crash site: 'She was dying in my arms'

By Chelsea Boyle
Chelsea Boyle is a reporter for the New Zealand Herald·NZ Herald·
7 May, 2019 06:47 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Angel Mulu (inset), who went to the assistance of Margaret Gundersen (centre) after a car crash. Photos / Supplied

Angel Mulu (inset), who went to the assistance of Margaret Gundersen (centre) after a car crash. Photos / Supplied

Angel Mulu was travelling in a car with her sister and good mate when they saw the aftermath of a horrific three car pile up in Tauranga and knew they had to turn around.

Emergency services were yet to arrive when they came across Margaret Gundersen trapped in the wreck on Fraser St.

The teenager and her older sister Karina, 26, flanked Gundersen on either side of the driver's seat and turned on a phone light.

"I was shaking," Mulu said.

Blood was everywhere, pooling on the car floor.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Instinctively the 19-year-old, who plays for the Bay of Plenty Volcanix women's rugby team, grabbed Gundersen's hand.

Angel Mulu, who went to the assistance of Margaret Gundersen after a car crash. Photo / Supplied
Angel Mulu, who went to the assistance of Margaret Gundersen after a car crash. Photo / Supplied

"We were trying to wake her up, she was faintly breathing and then out of nowhere she just stopped," Mulu said.

Unsure of what to do the sisters screamed for help, but the handful of others on the scene were calling emergency services and trying to deal with the other vehicles.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In that moment Mulu thought a stranger was going to die in her hands.

"I have never been to anything like this."

It was terrifying but she said she knew she had to do something.

Mulu kept telling Gundersen to wake up, gently tapping her chest.

Discover more

New Zealand

'Lost for words': The district where 16 have died in 34 days

04 May 08:56 AM
Margaret Gundersen, who was critically injured in a car smash. Photo / file.
Margaret Gundersen, who was critically injured in a car smash. Photo / file.

When Gundersen came to the first thing she asked about was the other driver, Mulu said.

The 19-year-old told her to not to worry and said that she had been in a serious car accident needed to stay still.

Gundersen then panicked that she needed to get her grandson.

The group became fearful another person might be unseen to them having been flung from the car.

But Gundersen explained she had been driving to pick her grandson Andre up from the army cadets when the crash happened.

Karina and friend Sela Moataane, who plays rugby with Mulu, drove off to find Andre.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Gundersen suddenly stopped breathing again.

When she came back for the second time it was a moment of "pure relief".

"She asked for my name.... and then she asked if I was a real angel.

"We were holding hands the whole time. She couldn't open her eyes."

Mulu promised Gundersen she would not leave her side.

"You're not going anywhere soon. I've got you," she had told her.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The public response and gratitude from the family had been "overwhelming" as she put her actions down pure instinct.

"Help was too far away. I needed to kick into gear."

The car Margaret Gundersen was in when it was hit. Photo / supplied.
The car Margaret Gundersen was in when it was hit. Photo / supplied.

Gundersen is now in a medically induced coma, fighting for her life after breaking her neck, back and ribs.

She also has a hemothorax (a collection of blood in the space between the chest wall and the lung), and is fighting off an infection.

Mulu hopes to meet her again soon.

"I feel like there always be a connection."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

'Brazen' gang attack: Mongrel Mob members avoid jail

08 Jul 04:31 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

21yo defends wounding charge after alleged hit-and-run at night market

08 Jul 12:05 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'Brazen' gang attack: Mongrel Mob members avoid jail

'Brazen' gang attack: Mongrel Mob members avoid jail

08 Jul 04:31 AM

Thirteen Mongrel Mob members attacked a rival gang at a Rotorua roundabout.

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM
21yo defends wounding charge after alleged hit-and-run at night market

21yo defends wounding charge after alleged hit-and-run at night market

08 Jul 12:05 AM
'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

07 Jul 11:57 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP