Truck driver charged over Desert Rd crash

A truck driver has been charged in relation to a crash on the Desert Rd that killed two children — one of whom was just 2 months old — on Good Friday.

Arteen Mosaferi, 4, died at the scene and his baby brother Radeen Mosaferi, 2 months, died at Starship Hospital on Easter Sunday from injuries sustained in the crash.

The man, aged 70, is facing five charges — two counts of careless driving causing death and two counts of careless driving causing injury, as well as logbook offences, police confirmed today.

The truck driver is due to appear in Taupo¯ District Court on June 27. Police said they could not comment further as the matter was before the court.

The children’s parents were injured in the collision, which involved four cars. Their mother, Dr Mohadeseh Sharifi, was critically hurt and their father, Siamak Mosaferi, had moderate injuries. The NZ Herald reported at the time that the family was understood to have been heading to Wellington for the Easter break with friends when their vehicle collided with the truck.

Two truck-and-trailer units and another car were involved and all vehicles were heading south when the incident happened at 3.27pm. The crash happened on a straight stretch of road between Waipakihi Rd and Rangipo Intake Rd.

Police told the Herald in the days after the crash that a truck driver was also injured. It is not clear whether the injured person was the man charged.

The same day, in Tirohanga, between Pokuru and Tirohanga roads, north of Taupo¯, local woman Denise Tito died in a crash.