One dead after car crashed down bank on Christchurch's Dyers Pass Rd
Tuesday, 11 December 2018
A person has died after a car crashed down a steep bank and burst into flames in Christchurch.
The car crashed down a bank on Dyers Pass Rd and landed in the Christchurch Adventure Park. It was found by the park's patrollers on Tuesday morning.
A police spokesman said the crash happened sometime in the past 24 hours on the city side of the Sign of the Kiwi cafe.
A Christchurch Adventure Park spokeswoman said staff came across the vehicle in the park during their morning patrol and reported it about 9.50am.
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Three tracks in the park – Summit Connector, Choir Boy and Flying Nun – would be closed until the police allowed the park to reopen it, the spokeswoman said.
The rest of the park was still open.
Stuff understands the car was travelling towards Christchurch.
The car crashed down the bank into the Adventure Park.
The police serious crash unit was at the scene on Tuesday morning and the burnt-out car was removed later in the day.
The lane of Dyers Pass Rd towards Christchurch was shut after 10am but reopened about 3.30pm.
Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Ash Tabb said no other vehicles were believed to be involved.
The Sign of the Kiwi cafe looks out on the corner where the crash happened.
Cafe owner Eric Devon said he did not hear or see anything unusual on Tuesday morning.
He said police arrived about 11am and told him they were closing one lane of the road.
In a statement, police said a body had been recovered and the death would be referred to the coroner.
Dyers Pass Rd, which links Cashmere and Governors Bay, has been the scene of many crashes. Between 2008 and April this year, 170 crashes were reported on the road, resulting in 95 injuries and two deaths.
Most recently, motorcyclist Kyle John McKitterick died on his 48th birthday when he collided with a van on November 10. The van was turning off Dyers Pass Rd into a driveway as McKitterick rode up the hill towards Christchurch.
In April this year, Christchurch City councillors approved changing the speed limit along the non-residential stretch of the road to 60kmh.
The previous speed limit between Summit Rd and Governors Bay Rd was 100kmh and 70kmh from just above Hackthorne Rd to Summit Rd.