‘Hurry up and get the car off,’ begs trapped cyclist
A cyclist begged his rescuers to “hurry up and get the car off” him as he lay trapped under an SUV in Herne Bay yesterday.
The 35-year-old Auckland man was trapped under the front of the Porsche SUV after a collision on Sarsfield St about 8am.
Ponsonby Fire Station Officer Brett Goodhue was one of the first at the scene.
“The guy was trapped under the car and a couple of members of the public had made attempts with jacks to lift the car up a bit, but not very successfully,” he said.
“He was conscious but you could tell by looking at him he had serious injuries.”
Mr Goodhue said the specialist rescue tender from Auckland Central Fire Station was needed to raise the vehicle and free the man.
“He had gone between the tyres in the middle of the car. He was conscious and telling us to hurry up and get the car off him,” Mr Goodhue said.
St John spokesman Robbie Walker said the man was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition.
Mr Goodhue said the man was wearing a helmet and his bicycle lay nearby in a “severely” bent and damaged state.
A police spokeswoman said the driver of the Porsche is a 54-year-old Auckland man and the car and the cyclist were travelling in the same direction when the accident occurred.
“We always encourage all road users to share the roads safely and to be aware of hazards, climatic conditions and other road users,” she said.
The man was in a stable condition at Auckland City Hospital last night, an Auckland District Health Board spokeswoman said. — Morgan Tait