Driver in fatal crash Downer worker
A Downer Group spokeswoman has confirmed a member of their Tauranga team was in a small truck that crashed into a canal near Tauranga on Wednesday.
Emergency services worked past sunset to recover the body after being called to the Ruahihi Canal off McLaren Falls Rd in Omanawa about 1.20pm on Wednesday following reports of a vehicle going into the water.
“This is a tragic event and we are working with the family and the local team to support them through this challenging time,” the Downer spokeswoman said.
“This does still remain a New Zealand Police investigation and we are assisting both police and WorkSafe,” she said.
Sergeant Wayne Hunter of the Western Bay of Plenty road police confirmed one person had died. He said their next of kin had been advised.
The retrieval operation took about three hours as the vehicle was completely submerged in the canal.
Police had to wait for the water level to be lowered before they could confirm whether anyone was inside and decide what to do next.
Tyre tracks in the grass leading into the canal indicated the vehicle had come down a hill from McLaren Falls Rd.
The crash is the second this month in the Bay of Plenty where a vehicle plunged into water.
On July 12, a car left State Highway 30, east of Rotorua, and crashed into Lake Rotoma.
Police divers retrieved the bodies of 54-year-old David Alexander Fawcett Jarden and 53-year-old Bibi Ali, both of Auckland, the following day as their silver, four-door vehicle was removed from the lake.