Three fatal crashes in ‘black day’ on Canterbury roads
The deaths of three people in crashes across Canterbury in 24 hours is a ‘‘black day on our roads’’, the district’s road policing boss says.
The Press understands police believe speed was a factor in two of the crashes. In the third, police are looking at fatigue as a factor after a driver is thought to have crossed the centreline causing the death another motorist.
Canterbury’s road policing manager, acting Inspector Greg Cottam, described Sunday as a ‘‘black day on our roads’’. ‘‘Three people ... have not made it home safely to their families, which is a tragedy,’’ Cottam said. The crashes take Canterbury’s road toll to 17 since January 1, down from 26 at the same time last year.
The first crash on Sunday involved a collision between two cars on the Parnassus Rd section of State Highway 1, north of Cheviot, in North Canterbury, about 2pm.
The Press understands the driver of a car crossed the centreline and crashed into another car, with the other driver dying and his wife being injured.
Senior Sergeant Stephen McDaniel said the crash was still under investigation but police were looking at whether driver fatigue was a factor.
A second man, understood to be in his 40s, died when he crashed his motorcycle into a gate in North Parade in the Christchurch suburb of Richmond about 9pm on Sunday. Chelsea Turner, 23, was at home when she saw a motorcycle travelling north at speed. ‘‘Then I just saw him lose control and smash into our gate.’’
The crash site was after a bend in the road. A tree outside the gate had fresh, deep scrape marks on it, suggesting the motorcyclist clipped it on the way through.
Turner and a man at the property, who did not want to be named, called emergency services. The force of the crash dislodged one half of a heavy steel gate, throwing it inside the property. The injured motorcyclist was slumped against it, the resident said, while the motorcycle lay on the footpath.
‘‘When I went out there I thought he wasn’t wearing a helmet, and I was just like: oh crap this isn’t good. But as it turns out that wound up in the neighbour’s property.’’ The man and several other passers-by tried to help the injured motorcyclist, who was unresponsive, until emergency services arrived.
St John paramedics worked on the injured man for about 30 minutes, the resident said, but he died at the scene.
Cottam confirmed police were looking at speed as a possible factor in that crash.
The third fatal crash on Sunday happened about 9.30pm.
Police were alerted that a car had rolled near the corner of SH75 (Christchurch-Akaroa Rd) and McQueens Spur Rd.
The Press understands the driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, took the corner too fast and crashed into a culvert.
McDaniel said an investigation was under way but police believed speed was a contributing factor.
Cottam said international research showed driver behaviour that changed during lockdown was hard to change back again. ‘‘I can’t attribute that to these three crashes, but we know that speed certainly increased over the various alert levels and driver behaviour changed due to less traffic on the road.’’