One person dead after serious crash north of Auckland
Tuesday, 3 April 2018
A woman is dead and two other people are injured following a serious crash in north Auckland.
The incident happened shortly after 12.30pm on Tuesday at the intersection of State Highway 1 and Centennial Park Rd, Wellsford.
Police said a woman died at the scene, and two people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Emergency services were on the scene and SH1 was blocked in both directions for several hours.
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Northbound traffic was being diverted through Centennial Park Rd and southbound traffic was being diverted through SH16.
Motorist were warned to expect delays if travelling through the area.
The serious crash unit had been notified.
At 4.20pm, police said the road was re-opening, and thanked drivers for their patience.
The crash came after six people lost their lives over the Easter holiday period.
Two local men died in a head-on collision in SH10, Kerikeri on Monday night. A 24-year-old from Kerikeri and 26-year-old from Kamo died at the scene after the car they were driving crossed the centre line and crashed with a southbound vehicle.
A 21-year-old American citizen has been charged in relation to their deaths.
He faces two counts of careless or inconsiderate driving causing death, a police spokeswoman said.
The man has been bailed and will appear in the Kaikohe District Court on Friday.
Several crashes occurred on Good Friday, including one on the Desert Rd which claimed the lives of two young children.
Top road cop superintendent Steve Greally said the situation over the holiday weekend has been 'heartbreaking'.
'Families never get over this sort of thing. In some cases they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, how do you reconcile that?'
He said people needed to realise physics would always catch up with them if they were driving fast and not to the conditions.