Car flips at roundabout
A small SUV appeared to twist in the air before flipping onto its roof at a busy Hamilton roundabout.
And it was lucky there was no child buckled into the back seat of the car, a cafe worker who rushed to the scene said.
Police received reports of a car on its roof at the Dinsdale roundabout shortly before 10am yesterday, Waikato Police Senior Sergeant Simon Cherry said. It brought traffic to a halt, witnesses said.
A couple of workers at Lola Breakfast Car and Cafe, who saw the crash unfold, ran towards the flipped car.
Waitress and barista Luca Marchioni said the crash seemed to begin with another car hitting the SUV.
‘‘It clipped them when they were taking the right turn,’’ Marchioni said. ‘‘ And they went right up the curb and just completely flipped.
‘‘You just saw the car twist in the air, it just went in a double turn. It was crazy.’’
There was a woman inside the car, Marchioni said. And while she didn’t have any cuts, the shock had rendered her speechless.
‘‘We just undid her seatbelt and tried to get her out of the car but she was in so much shock. She just started crying.’’
It’s the second crash at the roundabout in three days, Marchioni said. There’s usually plenty of hornhonking there, too, she said.
‘‘I’m so thankful that kid wasn’t in the car, it could have been so much worse.’’