Campervan crash kills two
Two people have died after their campervan hit a tree in the eastern Waikato yesterday afternoon.
Police and emergency services, alerted around 1.45pm to the incident on State Highway 27, discovered the white Mercedes campervan wedged at the base of a tall tree on the edge of a Tahuna farm. The front of the vehicle was completely caved in.
People living nearby understood the two deceased to have been elderly.
Donna Arnold, a councillor for Matamata Piako District Council who lives close to the scene, was at a neighbour’s house for a meeting when she heard the crash.
‘‘We heard this awful sound,’’ Arnold said. ‘‘We thought a tyre had blown out.
‘‘When we stood up and looked, we realised it must have been a fatality … We realised a car had hit a tree.
‘‘It’s very, very sad.’’
The impact appeared to have brought the tree down, snapping it at the base.
Fire services at the scene were trimming branches away and, at 4.45pm, police were still investigating the scene of the crash.
Speeding and driver fatigue were ongoing problems in the area, Arnold said.
‘‘We do have accidents from time to time.’’
And the roads weren’t in the best condition, she said, but it was unknown if any were factors in the crash.
‘‘I don’t know what happened in this case.’’
The highway was closed between Horrell Rd and the PaeroaTahuna roundabout near Springdale to allow investigations to continue.
The Serious Crash Unit is investigating.
‘‘We heard this awful sound. We thought a tyre had blown out.’’
Donna Arnold