Two die after being trapped in fiery smash
Series of crashes as storm makes holidaymakers head home early
Two people died in a fiery three-vehicle crash northwest of Auckland yesterday. It was the most significant of a string of smashes as roads filled with holidaymakers heading home early to escape the wet and windy weather lashing the country.
The double fatal happened on State Highway 16 at Waimauku, shortly before 5pm.
The pair died after the vehicle they were trapped in caught fire.
Three others were seriously injured.
Senior Sergeant Jesse Mowat of Waitemata Police said the crash was caused by a northbound driver losing control of his vehicle.
“As a result of that the driver appears to have drifted into the southbound lane where his vehicle's clipped a van.
“As a result the driver has veered further into the southbound lane and has effectively had a head-on collision with another vehicle heading south.”
Mowat said the road was wet and it was raining at the time of the crash.
“We are certainly considering [weather] as a factor.”
In another serious accident, a twovehicle crash on SH2 near Wairoa injured seven people, with two fighting for their lives.
Police and emergency services were called to the scene just before 6pm.
A St John spokesperson said five vehicles attended the incident and treated seven patients, taking them to Hawke’s Bay Hospital and Wairoa Hospital.
Police said two had lifethreatening injuries, two were in a serious condition and three had moderate or minor injuries.
Earlier, about 4.15pm, a truck hit a power pole on Whitford-Maraetai Rd in Beachlands, southeast of Auckland, downing several power lines. There were no serious injuries but local roads were closed while the scene was cleared.
About the same time as the Waimauku crash, a ute hit a tree in the Western Bay of Plenty. No one was injured.