Fatal crash in South Taranaki
A fatal crash in South Taranaki on Wednesday night is the seventh road death in the region this year.
A man is dead after the collision between a car and milk tanker about three kilometres south of Waverley.
The crash happened about
9.15pm on State Highway Three near the intersection with Moumahaki Rd.
The sole occupant of the northbound car died at the scene, police said.
‘‘The tanker driver was unhurt but traumatised.
‘‘The name of the deceased will not be released until police are satisfied that all family have been informed.’’
Police, fire and ambulance staff attended and diversions were put in place while the scene was cleared and a heavy haulage tow-truck was used to removed the tanker.
Firefighters checked along the grass verge on both sides of the road to see if anyone else had been thrown from the car.
Up until September there had been only two people killed on Taranaki roads in 2017 but the death is the second this month and the seventh for the year.
On November 7, Wallace Noel Flay, who was driving a ute, died after a crash involving a light truck and cyclist near the intersection of SH3 and Airport Dr. Flay died at the scene.
On February 19, Haji Abu Bakar Ramli, 56, died in a crash in the Awakino Gorge and on April
11 Anna Maria Leslie Pene, 54, died while being transported to hospital after a two car collision on Opunake Rd near Stratford.
Then on September 27, Inglewood 7-year-old Emma Warren was killed in a collision with a truck as she cycled home from school.
On October 3, milk tanker driver Stephen Gregory Smith died in hospital after a crash on September 28. On October 31, 21-year-old Angelika Melisa Loukas died in Wellington Hospital after a crash in Waitotara, South Taranaki, on October 29.
Sergeant Bruce Irvine said it was disappointing to have a spate of fatal crashes recently.
‘‘Every fatal road crash is disappointing,’’ Irvine said.
‘‘There’s a grieving family whose Christmas won’t be the same, that’s the message. These are such traumatic incidents for the families and the loved ones left behind.’’
He said police wanted to reinforce the safety messages, to slow down, watch following distances and drive to the conditions as people prepared to head away on summer holidays.
‘‘The sole responsibility lies with the driver, they are the person in charge of the vehicle and they are the ones making all of the decisions.
‘‘We can blame the roads, we can blame the weather, you can blame whatever you like but at the end of the day the person holding the steering wheel has the ultimate responsibility for the vehicle.’’
Irvine said nobody liked having to inform the family their loved one had died in a fatal crash.
‘‘In the lead up to Christmas it’s a busy time and we want people to get to their destination safely and enjoy their holiday.’’
He said crashes involving serious injuries could also have devastating effects.
‘‘People can spend years recovering from those and this can have traumatic effects on them, their families and loved ones.’’
Both the police Serious Crash Unit and Commercial Vehicle Safety Team were notified of Wednesday’s fatality and are investigating what caused the crash.
‘‘We can blame the roads, we can blame the weather, you can blame whatever you like but at the end of the day the person holding the steering wheel has the ultimate responsibility for the vehicle.’’
Sergeant Bruce Irvine