Eight killed in two-vehicle crash near Taupō
Sunday, 28 April 2019
A 9-year-old boy is fighting for his life after a crash near Taupō killed a van's driver, six passengers, and the driver of an SUV, police say.
Police say the crash is an 'absolute tragedy'. The injured boy was travelling in the van, and the driver of the SUV was the only person in that vehicle.
Greenlea Rescue Helicopter pilot Pete Masters said eight were killed in the crash near Atiamuri and his crew had flown the boy to Waikato Hospital.
Earlier on Sunday, police said they were unsure exactly how many people had been killed due to the 'catastrophic' nature of the crash. It wasn't until Sunday evening they confirmed eight people were dead and the critically injured boy was the sole survivor.
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NZTA reported part of the crash site on SH1 had been cleared by 6pm Sunday and the road had been re-opened to vehicles at a reduced speed limit of 50kmh.
The Disaster Victim Identification team has been called to help with the investigation as police deal with the latest in a horrific string of crashes, including one only kilometres away that killed five members of the same family less than a month ago.
The 9-year-old survivor flown from Tokoroa Hospital to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition.
He was stable on a ward by 4pm on Sunday, a Waikato District Health Board spokeswoman said.
Debris could be seen strewn over the road, near the wrecks of the vehicles.
Emergency services were alerted to Sunday's two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 near Ohakuri Rd at 10.30am.
It's understood a southbound and northbound car collided head-on, Inspector Brent Crowe told media at the scene.
'It appears, for whatever reason, one of the vehicles has crossed the incorrect side of the road on a moderate bend.'
It had been raining and the roads were wet at the time, Crowe said.
'To describe the scene behind us as a complete tragedy would be an understatement,' he said.
'Our main priority, our main focus at the moment is to ensure we extract the deceased, look after the deceased and take care of them for their families.'
It was understood there was only one occupant of the southbound car, Crowe said.
An investigation was under way to determine events leading up to the crash, he said.
Tokoroa fire chief Dave Morris said while he wasn't at the scene, he's been in touch with members of the local brigade who attended.
It's the second 'horrendous', multiple-fatality crash the local brigade has seen in the last month, so he wanted to make sure they were coping, Morris said.
Morris has never seen an eight-fatality crash in his 41-year career, although he'll never forget a harrowing collision that killed six.
A lot of people will be on the roads with the school holidays coming to an end, Morris said, and he hoped those travelling would wear seatbelts, drive to the conditions and be patient.
A woman, who lives in the area, told Stuff she didn't see or hear the crash, but was horrified to hear there was another multiple-fatality crash in the area.
'There have been so many around.'
The crash comes less than a month after five family members were killed on Tirohanga Rd, about 15 kilometres away.
A west-bound Ford Falcon had crashed into a gum tree tree, killing all occupants, except 11-year-old Isaac Morgan-Rangikataua, who was seriously injured.
His father, cousin and three school-age sisters all died at the scene.
As of April 25, there had been 125 road deaths on the roads in 2019, with 26 in the Bay of Plenty, according to NZTA.
So far this year, Taupō roads have seen 14 deaths, Senior Sergeant Fane Troy said. Last year, there were 16 across the whole year.
The road has been closed for the scene to be examined and traffic is being diverted.
Motorists should expect lengthy delays.