Swerve ‘avoids fatal crash’
Tom Martin is convinced a splitsecond decision to swerve may have saved several lives in the face of a car hurtling towards him on the wrong side of the road.
Martin, 18, of Masterton, and three passengers were heading along Cambridge Tce in Lower Hutt when they were caught up in the first of a series of events that ended with a man’s death on Saturday.
He believed the oncoming Holden Commodore which ended up on the wrong side of the road heading towards his Nissan Prairie was travelling well in excess of 100kmh in the 50kmh zone.
Martin said his evasive action likely avoided a head-on collision, with the Holden hitting the front right-hand side of the Nissan, badly damaging it.
Two of his passengers were injured, and Martin is now nursing a broken leg, sore back and lacerated face.
After glancing the Nissan, the Holden flipped and hit other vehicles, ending up hundreds of metres down the road on its roof.
The driver got out and tried to enter another vehicle without success. He then approached another car, punched the driver and took the vehicle.
The man took off in the vehicle and crashed on the Remutaka Hill Rd where he again fled on foot. He was found by police in a critical condition in the bush below the road, but died at the scene.
Senior Sergeant Mark Scott said the death had been referred to the coroner.
Martin said he was still in shock and repeatedly thought about what might have happened if he had not swerved on Cambridge Tce.
‘‘It could’ve been a potentially fatal crash had I not reacted that way.
Luckily the injuries weren’t as bad as they could have been.’’
By chance Martin’s father, Graham Martin and stepmother Amanda Dette, came upon the second crash on the hill road as they were on their way from Masterton to see how Martin was doing.
They talked to another driver who had witnessed the crash.
That person told them the driver of the crashed car had immediately headed straight into the bush below the road.
The whole incident made Graham Martin very wary of the safety of his family. ‘‘It sort of feels like death was breathing down these guys’ necks.’’