Biker ‘took off like a rocket’ before crash
A motorcyclist has died after his motorbike and a car collided in Palmerston North.
Police said Ezra John Wilson, 21, hit the side of a silver Honda SUV allegedly at more than 120kmh at the intersection of Napier Rd and Upper Main St about 4.45pm on Friday.
The driver’s side of the SUV was crumpled by the force of the motorbike, which lay in a tangled mess of metal surrounded by shattered glass and shards of red and white plastic.
Firefighters performed first aid on Wilson until St John Ambulance arrived and rushed him to Palmerston North Hospital in a critical condition. Despite their efforts, Wilson died of his injuries that evening.
Visibly shaken, the SUV driver told Stuff at the scene that he pulled out from Upper Main St, turning to head towards the city when the collision happened.
The front wheel was ripped from the bike and the side airbags of the SUV had burst, its windows shattered. The man jumped from his car to help the motorcyclist.
Police cordoned off the road heading towards Ashhurst, between Upper Main St and Upham Terrace, as they investigated the scene, taking statements from the driver of the SUV and witnesses.
Dave Bayliss saw the motorcyclist ‘‘take off like a rocket’’ towards Ashhurst a few minutes before the crash.
‘‘I heard this bike going really fast. I thought he was being chased by police. He would have been going 130kmh.
‘‘I thought: ‘All it takes is for someone to come out of a driveway or a street like this and he is gone’.’’
Bayliss walked past the mangled scene as the driver was driven to hospital.
‘‘All I thought was: ‘I hope that’s not that kid on the motorbike’.’’
Police said the investigation into the crash was ongoing, and Wilson’s death had been referred to the coroner.