Police officer disqualified from driving

A motorcyclist was left with a permanent disability after being hit by a police car doing a U-turn near Palmerston North.

Information recently obtained by Stuff details what went wrong when an attempt to stop a speeding motorist resulted in a police car crashing into a motorbike. A police officer did a U-turn in front of the bike.

Diana Veronica Rutten was sentenced in the Palmerston North District Court in late 2018 for careless or inconsiderate vehicle operation causing injury on a road. She was ordered to pay $1000 reparation and was disqualified from driving for six months.

Stuff obtained a copy of the summary of facts that said at about 7.20am on December 6, 2017, Rutten was driving a patrol car on Napier Rd and undertaking speed detection work.

A car was speeding towards Palmerston North, so Rutten, 56, turned on the red and blue lights and pulled over to the left side of the road.

She did a U-turn behind the speeding car with the intention of stopping it and as she did the turn she failed to see the victim on his motorcycle travelling a short distance behind the car.

The motorcyclist collided with the left-hand side of the patrol car and suffered serious injuries, including a compound fracture to his left leg and a fracture to his right wrist. The wrist injury left him with a permanent disability.

Rutten declined to make a statement but told witnesses at the scene she had not seen the motorcyclist.

Manawatu¯ road policing manager Inspector Dave White said at the end of the court process the crash was dealt with through their internal employment process.

‘‘The officer involved is still a police officer, but we will not be commenting on employment matters involving individuals.’’

He said police offered support to the motorcyclist.