Woman falls from campervan, critical
A flapping door in the back of her campervan caught the woman passenger’s attention so she popped back into the cabin to pull it closed.
But as the vehicle sped along the Waikato Expressway the 59-year-old woman lost her footing and went tumbling onto the highway.
Her husband was helpless behind the wheel.
The couple were travelling south along State Highway One near Cambridge at lunchtime yesterday when the incident occurred.
The woman is in a critical condition in Waikato Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
‘‘She was travelling in the passenger seat.
‘‘But she whipped around behind her and was attempting to shut a door that hadn’t been shut properly prior to leaving,’’ Waikato police Senior Sergeant Rupert Friend said.
‘‘From what I understand she’s tried to shut the external campervan door behind her.’’
In the process the woman lost her footing and slipped out the doorway.
She tumbled onto the highway, ending up injured and conscious lying on the tarmac to the side of the southbound lane.
‘‘There was no one else involved it was purely just an accident while trying to shut the door.’’
Her husband was ‘‘very upset’’. ‘‘She had injuries to a fair amount of her body, including grazing.’’
A number of motorists stopped to help, Friend said, including a doctor and possibly a nurse who provided first aid.
‘‘There was definitely a doctor there when ambulance arrived.’’
Friend said the couple were heading ‘‘further down the line’’ towards the southern Waikato, but he was not sure exactly where.
Police were still trying to work out exactly how fast the campervan was travelling at the time.
‘‘I would suggest if you think there is anything wrong with your vehicle - stop in a safe location before trying to assess any problems or fix it.’’
The incident happened by the exit which leads to the Avantidrome.