Crash victim Shane Summerfield has been in “unbearable pain” since losing half his family, he told a court today.

Shane Summerfield is still "miles away" from being able to speak about the crash in which a Dutch driver ran a stop sign and killed his wife and daughter.

A special forces soldier who tumbled to his death on NZ's deadliest mountain yesterday was "unlucky", as snow and ice gave way to a deep crevasse, a rescuer says.

A Napier truck driver negotiating the steep Otira Viaduct for the first time probably experienced brake failure, a coroner has ruled.

Just over two months ago, a battered Phoenix Ruddell lay in an induced coma at Starship Hospital with injuries so serious that doctors expected a long road back to recovery.

Motocross rider Todd Mullinder is alive today because he had emergency surgery on the back of a ute.

A 28-year-old mother swept to her death in a flood-swollen Bay of Islands river screamed for five minutes as she clung to a fence but the raging waters pulled her under.

As the parents of Jordan Kemp raced to hospital, they assured themselves the teen couldn't die from a rugby injury.

The family of New Zealand's top wakeboarder have been told he is a quadriplegic after a devastating accident - but remain hopeful that he will defy the odds.

Hundreds gathered in stormy weather to say haere ra to a young Northland rugby player - four days after he died from a head injury he suffered while playing for his club.

Everyone needs good neighbours - and Kevin Walker's got the best. He is alive only because Sam Woolford gave him CPR for 10 minutes after he went into cardiac arrest.

A man who fell from his ladder onto a rockery and was given painkillers by the local medical centre, died two days later of internal injuries, a coroner has found.

Labour is proposing a sweeping overhaul of New Zealand's disaster insurance regime including shifting EQC levies from insurance premiums

A 7-year-old boy was flown to Auckland's Starship Hospital in a serious condition last night after being hit by a car in Tauranga's Welcome Bay.

A Dutch businessman who was involved in a crash which killed three people and left one seriously injured had been caught speeding hours before the collision, it has been reported.

A Courier Post driver says a fatal accident with a cyclist yesterday was over in an instant.

A former All Black and the coach of teen rugby player Jordan Kemp, who died from a suspected head knock, has called for an urgent forum to address the dangers of brain injuries.

Kiwi men are clumsier than women, unless they are on a plane, overseas or living on the North Shore or Kapiti Coast.

A young New Zealand wakeboarder is in a critical condition in the US following a nasty training accident.

A father-of-three is dead after a weekend jet-ski trip with his brother and friend turned to tragedy in North Canterbury.

A fatal rugby injury has devastated a NZ family, sent shockwaves through a tight-knit Northland community and re-emphasised risks associated with the national game.

A young rugby player has died after being critically injured during a rugby game in Whangarei yesterday.

A talented teen was in an induced coma with a suspected brain bleed last night after being critically injured during a rugby game.

A 10-year-old girl was impaled on a bicycle in Avondale this afternoon and rushed to hospital with the handlebar still embedded in her body.