One dead, one critically injured in horror Napier-Taupō Rd crash

Friday, 6 December 2019

A truck driver was burned when he tried to save two people in a horror crash that left one dead on Friday.

Emergency services were alerted to the motorcycle and truck collision at Te Pohue in the Hastings District at about 6am Friday. The crash was on State Highway 5, the Napier-Taupō Rd.  

A man died, and a woman remains in a critical condition in Hawke's Bay Hospital. The truck driver, a man in his 60s, was in a stable condition and was later discharged.

District road policing manager Matt Broderick described the crash as 'particularly nasty' and said the truck driver received burns while trying to help the rider and passenger after the bike caught fire.

'This was not a head-on crash. It happened at an intersection, but we're still working on determining what actually happened.'    

The road re-opened about 1.30pm.

The crash was  near Old Taupō Coach and Rukumoana roads.

A man who wished to remain anonymous said contractors had also been working on that particular stretch of road and there was 'loose gravel'.       

'This crash means we've had 19 fatals in Hawke's Bay alone this year, people really need to take care when out on the road,' Broderick said. 

'It's just awful that this has happened just before Christmas and the roads are only going to get busier as the holidays get closer.'