As they work to establish the cause of the third fatal crash to happen on Waikato roads in less than a week, the District's Police commander is pleading with motorists to drive to survive this summer.
Superintendent Win van der Velde said officers returned to the intersection of SH26 and Hoeka Rd at Newstead today to establish just what happened in the crash that claimed the life of a 75-year-old Cambridge woman yesterday.
"Emergency services were called to the scene shortly before 4pm. While the crash is still under investigation by the Serious Crash Unit initial indications are the crash occurred when the car the woman was a passenger in turned right, into the path of an oncoming utility.
"Five people from the two vehicles were taken to Waikato Hospital by ambulance suffering from a variety of injuries and the woman died in hospital overnight. Her death has been reported to the Coroner."
Mr van der Velde said with this latest crash being the third fatal collision in the Waikato in six days, motorists need to appreciate the level of additional trauma this places on emergency response staff.
"It's not just cleaning up the mess at the scene. My officers then have to explain to the families of victims that their loved one has died and won't be at the Christmas dinner table this summer. Ask anyone who has had to tell a parent their child has passed and they will tell you there's no harder task."
"It's time drivers took some responsibility, after all we've seen extra Police patrols on the roads, there's been additional signage and roading improvements and only last month local newspapers ran a series of road safety articles, so everything that can be done is being done, short of drivers doing their part."
Mr Van der Velde said motorists need to take on board that most of our roads are in the 100 kilometre an hour environment and impacts at that speed result in serious injury, if not fatalities.
"Suffice to say, motorcyclists are even more vulnerable in accidents at that speed.”
“My team will continue with the high visibility and increased enforcement, but motorists need realise they are operating a piece of equipment that will kill, and quite often it is not the driver that dies, but a close family member or friend. All I ask is that you show the level of respect on the road that allows you to ‘drive to survive’.”
Meanwhile the names of two men killed in separate crashes in the Waikato on Thursday night have been released.
In the first crash in Taupiri about 5.30pm, 42-year-old Steve Laurence HOLMAN died when the Porsche Boxter car he was driving left the road and crashed into trees.
In the second crash about an hour later, 32-year-old Thomas BLYTHE died when the southbound blue Subaru car he was a passenger in crossed the centreline into the path of a northbound car on SH3 at Rukuhia.
Police investigating this crash have confirmed the blue car was one of two vehicles seen travelling south at high speed through Glenview a few minutes before the crash.
While crash investigators have spoken to a number of witnesses to the crash they are still working to establish what occurred before the collision and ask that anyone who saw two vehicles travelling south through Glenview towards Rukuhia at speed about 6.20pm make contact with Senior Constable Kent Morrissey of the Serious Crash Unit on 07 858 6200.
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