Motorists abuse police at scene of fatal crash
Police officers manning the cordon of a fatal crash in the Waikato copped abuse from motorists trying to argue their way through the scene.
A section of State Highway 1 through Karapiro was closed for seven hours on Thursday morning after a fatal road crash which killed Gregory William Brown.
The 43-year-old Karapiro father was killed when his ute, and a truck and trailer unit, collided head-on about 100 metres south of the Mobil service station.
The crash happened at 4.25am and the main arterial highway was closed soon after. It reopened at 11.30am.
Police confirmed staff manning cordons during the road closure were confronted by frustrated motorists, wanting to know how long the road would be closed for. Some were given abuse.
The closure came at peak hour and caused delays around the region linking Piarere to the Waikato Expressway near Cambridge.
Motorist, and nearby resident, Jamie Irvine witnessed some of the confrontations. ‘‘It was disgusting, the amount of people who decided to test it, and protest it.’’
She heard about the crash before leaving for work around 7am on Thursday and decided to travel the highway and follow posted diversions.
In the five to 10 minutes she waited at the stop sign next to the crash site, three motorists got out of their vehicles and argued with cordon staff. All were attempting to get to Hamilton, she said.
‘‘They tried to argue about why they should be let through, and how long the road had been closed – it was incredible really.’’
One motorist drove directly through the cordon until they were stopped by police, she said.
Another stopped and followed an officer in debate as he tried to direct traffic.
Investigations were continuing into Thursday’s fatal crash, although initial indications are that the ute crossed the centreline into the path of the oncoming truck.