Appeal for information on fatal crash
Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen a fatal Labour Day weekend crash on State Highway 1 near Kekerengu.
One person died and another suffered moderate injuries in the singlevehicle crash between Blenheim and Kaiko¯ ura on Monday. The crash was reported to police at 3.10pm.
An ambulance and a helicopter responded, and a patient was treated and airlifted to Christchurch Hospital in a serious condition, a St John spokesperson said. Fire crews from Blenheim, Flaxbourne and Seddon also attended.
Long queues of southbound and northbound traffic formed on SH1 on Monday afternoon, as the road remained closed between Kekerengu and Ward while the Serious Crash Unit completed a scene examination. The road reopened under stop/go traffic management around 5.45pm.
An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is under way, and police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash to contact them by phoning 105 and referencing event number P052355016.
The crash took the Labour Day weekend road toll to four, following deaths from crashes in Lower Hutt and Hamilton on Saturday, and a third death just north of Waihau Bay in Bay of Plenty on Sunday.
In 2021, there were seven deaths from Labour Weekend crashes, and eight in 2020, according to Te Manatu¯ Waka Ministry of Transport.