Horror weekend sees road toll soar
Five deaths in 15 hours as rescue helicopter is called out again to tragic Northland black spot.
Five people were killed in three separate accidents on New Zealand roads in just a 15 hour period this weekend.
And with 20 days to go until the end of March, the number of road fatalities has already surpassed the number of road fatalities for the entire month of March of last year.
Two of the accidents were double fatal crashes that occurred yesterday while the third claimed a single life just before midnight on Friday evening.
The first fatal accident of the weekend took place in Hikurangi, Northland, at 11.40pm on Friday following a single vehicle crash on Mountain View Rd.
‘‘A male has died at the scene, and two others were treated by ambulance,’’ a police statement said.
The next serious crash occurred at the intersection of State Highways 47 and 48 at 6.40am yesterday after a truck and van collided near Whakapapa in the central North Island.
Two people died, and the main road was blocked for several hours.
Police and emergency services were called to another crash, just north of Kaeo, at 2.20pm yesterday where four people were reported to be trapped in their cars.
New Zealand police later confirmed that two people had died while a third was flown to a hospital in Auckland in a serious condition.
A Northland Rescue Helicopter pilot said the crash was between a ute and a people carrier travelling in opposite directions.
The valley was quite tight for landing, and they’d found a spot about 300m away.
The area had been a black spot for crashes.
‘‘We’re quite frequent visitors around the Kaeo area.’’
They carried a middle-aged man to Auckland Hospital. Two more rescue choppers from Auckland were turned back once it was confirmed that the two people had died.
The road death toll for 2018 now stands at 74 compared to 68 for the same time last year.
Last year’s total was 379, the highest in seven years.
With current trends, the experts are now suggesting the final figure for the year could rise above 400.
Police are calling for motorists to be extra vigilant.
We’re quite frequent visitors around the Kaeo area.
Northland Rescue Helicopter