Two dead after charity motorcycle ride in Southland turns to tragedy
Saturday, 17 November 2018
Motorcyclists involved in a fatal crash in Southland were taking part in a charity ride raising money for a unborn baby in need of vital heart surgery.
Two men died and a third person is fighting for their life after three motorbikes were caught up in the incident on a country road about 40km from Invercargill.
The ride, which involved motorbikes and classic cars, was organised by the Southern Brotherhood Motorcycle Club.
A spokeswoman for Drummond Motorcycle Club, which was also taking part, told Stuff that a rider and their passenger had collided with an oncoming motorcyclist.
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Around three of the club's riders were on the run, she said, but were not involved in the accident.
The crash happened at 12.45pm on Saturday on Riverton Otautau Road, just south of the intersection with Fairfax Isla Bank Road.
Two of those involved were airlifted by helicopter to hospitals in Dunedin and Southland, Otago Rescue Helicopter chief pilot Graeme Gale said.
Debris could be seen strewn across the road at the site of the crash, a bend that rises and dips as it cuts through open paddocks.
Police said no other vehicles were involved in the crash. The weather was clear at the time and the road, which was sealed off by a wide cordon while emergency services dealt with the incident, was dry.
According to a Givealittle page, the couple were informed at their 20-week scan that their baby had a congenital heart defect known as transposition of the great arteries (TGA).
'In TGA, the two main arteries leaving the heart are 'switched' and already oxygenated blood flows to the lungs, while the body is supplied with oxygen poor blood. The baby can continue to grow but once it is born it's body won't be receiving enough oxygen.'
A surgical procedure to address the issue is not not available in the South Island, meaning the couple will have to travel to Auckland for the surgery.
Funds are being raised to pay for medical appointments, flights and accommodation to visit the foetal medicine team in Christchurch, and flights to Auckland when the baby is due.
'No first time parents should have to go through such a stressful and upsetting time and these guys need all the love and support we can give them over the coming months,' the page says.
Officers from the serious crash unit are investigating the accident; the road was expected to be closed for some time.