Victim of high-speed crash named
Police have released the name of a man who died following an earlymorning high-speed car crash in New Plymouth.
Casey Atutahi, 22, was a back seat passenger in the car when it hit a concrete wall at the intersection of Nobs Line and Devon St East about 1.30am on Wednesday. He died at Taranaki Base Hospital on Wednesday afternoon as a result of his injuries.
Senior Sergeant Matt Prendergast said Atutahi was from New Plymouth. His next of kin had been advised.
Atutahi was one of four occupants in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Two other men and a woman were also taken to Taranaki Base Hospital for treatment.
A hospital spokeswoman said on Wednesday a 16-year-old male was in a critical condition, while a 17-year-old female and a 17-year-old male were in a stable condition.
Emergency services, police, fire and ambulance staff were called to the crash scene and were there for about an hour. Senior station officer Jason Crowe said firefighters had to cut the doors off the car to free those trapped inside.
The Serious Crash Unit (SCU), from Palmerston North, attended and assessed the scene to establish how fast the vehicle was travelling at the time of the impact.
The SCU was in Taranaki on Tuesday after a fatal crash near Waitara, north of New Plymouth.