Motorcyclist in critical condition

Middle Rd, near Havelock North, where a motorcyclist hit a sheep, dragged it 25 metres and ended up another 25 metres down the road before falling off. Photo / Duncan Brown.

A man is in a critical condition at Hawke's Bay Hospital with back and head injuries after striking a sheep with his motorbike in a "freak accident".

Emergency services were called to Middle Road near Camp David just after 5pm on Saturday, where St John Ambulance staff treated the 49-year-old, before he was airlifted to hospital by the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter.

Hawke's Bay Today understands he had been travelling towards Havelock North when a sheep jumped out in front of him. The sheep was killed.

"He hit it and has travelled with it under the bike for about 25m - I think he's flown into the air and the bike has landed on top of him," said Jaqui Cairns, a resident who came to the man's aid.

Mrs Cairns was hosting a barbecue with friends at the back of her home, when a witness came running from the road in search of help.

"A guy appeared and said someone had come off their bike, I said 'a push bike?' he said, 'no, a motorbike' - once we heard that, there was panic.

"He had been driving to Wellington with his sister when he saw what he thought was a rubbish bag in the middle of the road, as they got closer he realised it was a man with a motorbike on top of him - he was right outside our gate."

Mrs Cairns and a friend hurried to comfort the motorcyclist, while her husband and neighbour blocked off the road.

"It was very lucky he wasn't hit, because cars fly along there, we don't know how long he had been lying on the ground before he was found ... he had his leathers on and his helmet was in really bad shape, we were just telling him to squeeze our hands.

"He was in a lot of pain but was being very brave, the ambulance seemed to take forever to get there."

Roadsafe Hawke's Bay regional manager Linda Anderson said while it was not very common, there were instances where similar events had occurred.

"It's probably less likely than other factors but there's certain areas in Hawke's Bay where there are wandering stock, particularly livestock and goats."

"With motorcyclists the vulnerability is a lot more than someone in a vehicle, therefore if something happens the consequences are much worse. I imagine he was out enjoying a Saturday run and it's ended very badly."

Situations like this often came down to maintenance of fences, she added.

"If there are gaps the sheep can get out onto the road, but I don't know if that was an issue here."

Ulysses Club Hawke's Bay Branch president Cliff Heydon added that livestock, birds and other animals were always a danger when riding on the open road. "Most definitely, there's always that risk of a pheasant coming flying out from the grass or something," he said.

In another motorcycle accident, a teenage male was airlifted to hospital with a serious knee injury following a collision with two other riders at the Hawke's Bay Motocross Championships at Matapiro in Crownthorpe, about 12.30pm yesterday.