Farmer wakes to find crash death

A Manawatu farmer says it was a shock waking up to a fatal car crash scene across the road from his house.

A 60-year-old man died on Friday after crashing his car through a fence and into a paddock on Himatangi Beach Rd.

Farmer Daniel Murdoch said he ‘‘didn’t hear a thing’’ overnight, so seeing the aftermath of the crash was a shock.

‘‘It wasn’t too good of a scene. Poor bugger.’’

Murdoch’s partner was one of the first people to come across the crash when she left for work at 7.55am.

Another person in a white truck was also at the scene and had rung the police, Murdoch said.

By the time he got to the crashed car, the police were already at the scene.

Police believed the crash happened overnight, but it was not discovered until just before 8am on Friday.

Inspector Brett Calkin said police were investigating.

Speed was believed to be a factor and early indications suggested the driver may not have been wearing a seatbelt, he said.

Murdoch said there had been a few crashes on Himatangi Beach Rd over the years, especially at the Wylie Rd intersection.

In summer, boy racers tended to zoom down the stretch of road leading to the beach, Murdoch said.

Another neighbouring farmer said there had been a crash on New Year’s Eve in 2015, close to Friday’s crash site. The man, who did not want to be named, said he saw police and ambulance staff frantically working at the scene.

Calkin said the crash was a reminder for people to buckle up, slow down and drive to the conditions.