Melee after car ploughs into girl
A Hamilton couple were forced to take refuge in a neighbour’s house after the family of a teenage girl hit by a car began hurling racial abuse.
Exactly what unfolded on Ruapehu Street in Chartwell around 8pm on Saturday is under investigation by police.
But from witness accounts, the chase that ended with a 13-year-old girl being hit on the footpath began a few streets away at a home in Belmont Terrace.
A Ruapehu Street resident who declined to be named became involved when events in her street grew heated and an Asian couple took refuge with a neighbour, whom she declined to identify for fear of retribution.
The resident said the middle-aged Asian couple believed neighbourhood teenagers had been hurling water balloons at their Belmont Terrace house.
It followed other incidents at the couple’s property, including lemons being thrown and a window being smashed.
‘‘They were convinced it was these kids,’’ the resident said. ‘‘They were obviously frustrated by it and trying to sort out the situation.’’
When the teens left in a vehicle, the couple attempted to follow them in hopes of reporting the car’s number plate to police.
‘‘There was the Asian couple in the one car and a few teenagers in the other car,’’ the resident said. ‘‘I think they were on the phone to police trying to get the number plate of the kids in the car and they came around the corner.’’
The resident said the Asian couple’s Toyota mounted the footpath and smashed into a Toyota Vitz parked in her neighbour’s driveway, spinning the Vitz into a hedge and fence.
‘‘It looked like he had lost control of the car in the wet. I think he just didn’t realise how sharp the turn was going to be.
‘‘They took that one out and managed to accidentally hit one of the girls who was walking along the street.’’
The girl who was struck was believed to be related to the group in the car the Asian couple were chasing. The teens stopped not far from the crash.
‘‘The [Asian couple] got out of their car, and the teenagers got out and were swearing and nutting off while the girl was hurt,’’ the resident said.
Hearing the crash, residents emerged from their homes – some coming to the aid of the girl to ensure she wasn’t moved until emergency services arrived.
Witnesses said the girl was lying injured half on the road and half on the footpath. She was conscious and had grazes to her face and was complaining of pain in a suspected broken ankle.
‘‘There were a couple of girls looking after the girl, putting a blanket over her,’’ a woman who also helped the girl said.
‘‘She could feel everything and was in pain and quite distraught.’’
The altercation on the street got heated, witnesses said, with family members of the girl yelling abuse at the middle-aged Asian couple.
Some of it was racial, the witnesses said. The Asian couple fled to a nearby house.
‘‘The couple ran up a driveway [and went] inside. Everyone was really going crazy,’’ a witness said.
‘‘They were in shock. They didn’t know what was going on. They were worried about the girl.’’
Some of the girl’s family began bashing on the door of the resident’s house, hitting the windows and trying to get inside.
One woman said the stepfather of the girl, who lived nearby, came down to the scene and was also yelling abuse.
‘‘They were really upset because she was hurt.’’
St John said the girl was taken to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition. A hospital spokeswoman last night said she was stable in a ward.
Waikato police Senior Sergeant Ray Malcolmson confirmed there was a twocar crash on Ruapehu Street on Saturday night in which a pedestrian was struck.
Police logs show the crash involved a Toyota Vitz and a Toyota Vista, but Malcolmson could not say which vehicle had struck the other.
Investigations are ongoing.