Waikato police see spike in road crashes with five seriously injured in two days

Friday, 24 April 2020

A car struck a power pole and flipped on Scotsman Valley Rd, Tauwhare on Thursday.

A high speed crash that left two people in an upside down car with life threatening injuries is one of a spike of vehicle crashes on Waikato roads.

The crash on Thursday afternoon is the second serious crash on Waikato's roads this week, leaving police frustrated at what they say is preventable road trauma consuming emergency resources.

During the previous four weeks of the nationwide Level 4 lockdown there have been between two and four crashes a day on the district's roads, Waikato road policing manager Inspector Jeff Penno said.

On Thursday, April 23 police attended nine road crashes.

* 'Heroic actions' of ex-firefighter and father saved lives after fiery crash in Hamilton**

'That is a significant increase and we are responding to that by increasing our on-road presence.'

While the roads may appear quiet there had been an increase in the volume of vehicles, Penno said, as more people moved around and people prepared businesses to move to Alert Level 3 next week.

'This is the sort of incident that we just don't need right now - let alone there's been two people seriously injured and will have months and months of rehabilitation.

'It's an absolute tragedy and it's preventable, which is what frustrates police.'

The crash happened on Scotsman Valley Road, east of Hamilton, around 1.30pm on Thursday.

A vehicle was travelling north near Tauwhare when the driver lost control coming over the brow of the hill and into a bend.

The car crossed the centreline and struck a powerpole on the opposite side of the road, flipping and rolling off the road to land on its roof in a paddock, Penno said.

One of the occupants was trapped inside and had to be cut out of the wreck by firefighters.

That person, who was a passenger, was left with critical injuries and flown to Waikato Hospital by a rescue helicopter.

'Police are frustrated as there is clear evidence excess speed was involved.'

Penno said the vehicle was travelling some kilometres 'not just above' the 100kmh posted speed limit.

Driver inexperience was also a likely factor, Penno said, but further investigations into the crash were still being made.

'We urge the public to have a social conscience and drive to the conditions, within the regulations and allow emergency services do what they need to be doing not attending preventable incidents such as this.'

The crash comes just days after three people were left with serious injuries after a fiery crash in central Hamilton.

The trio had been travelling along Kahikatea Dr in Melville just after daybreak on Wednesday when the driver lost control, hit a kerb and became airborne before smashing head-on into a power pole. Speed was again a factor.

A resident helped drag injured people from a burning vehicle after a crash in Hamilton.

Some of the occupants were pulled from the burning car by an ex-firefighter and local father who came to their aid.

Waikato road policing manager Inspector Jeff Penno says police attended nine crashes on Thursday alone.

The two women and one man were taken to Waikato Hospital where two were in the High Dependency ward on Wednesday and one was stable on a ward.

'Both of these vehicles crossed the centreline and when there's more vehicles on the road mathematically there's more chances of hitting someone else.'

'The sad thing is the people who don't comply, hurt the innocent people.'