Collision sees biker sent flying
"As soon as he hit the ground he was screaming in pain. I thought he was toast."
Crash witness Mark Dronjak
A biker was flung to the ground when he was rear ended by a car on Sunday afternoon in a hit-andrun collision at a busy intersection on one of New Plymouth’s main thoroughfares.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, at the intersection of Brougham and Powderham St, at around 4pm to find the injured motorcyclist on the ground with his black and chrome Triumph bike lying nearby.
Crash witness Mark Dronjak said he had stopped at the lights opposite when he heard ‘‘a huge bang’’ as the vehicle hit the motorcyclist from behind.
‘‘The bike was waiting on the red lights when he was hit by the car, it clipped him and then it just drove off,’’ he said.
‘‘The guy on the bike just went flying.
‘‘As soon as he hit the ground he was screaming in pain.
‘‘I can’t believe it, I thought he was toast.’’
The man’s adult son arrived at the scene some time later and was visibly upset to find his father was already inside the ambulance and being treated. ‘‘That’s my dad,’’ he said. ‘‘Who did this to him?’’ New Plymouth police constable Craig O’Doherty said the motorcyclist was heading east along Powderham St and had stopped at the traffic lights when the car hit him.
O’Doherty said the car that hit the biker stopped initially, but then drove off along Powderham St.
‘‘We have no registration of the car involved at present,’’ he said.
‘‘Police are looking for the car involved and would appreciate help from anyone who may have seen the crash.’’
The street was temporarily down to one lane while the man was being attended to by witnesses and ambulance staff.
The male rider has been taken to hospital to be treated for leg injuries.