KEY POINTS:
A scenic ride from Franz Josef Glacier to Nelson for a party of motorcycle police turned bad yesterday when a tree suddenly slumped down a cliff and across the road, taking out the lead rider.
The four officers were returning to the Wellington Police College after helping with the Tour of Southland cycle race at the weekend when the small landslip struck, just north of Punakaiki on the West Coast.
"We were riding along enjoying the trip and a large tree just fell down directly on to the front rider," Sergeant Wayne Christie, of Wellington, said.
"He was lucky it hit the front of the bike. Less than a split second later and it would have been fatal."
The accident happened on a hilly section of State Highway 6, 5km north of Punakaiki, about 12.30pm.
The injured officer was treated for deep lacerations. He was flown to Grey Base Hospital by the Solid Energy Rescue Helicopter an hour later.
The Runanga Volunteer Fire Brigade attended, along with the Greymouth police and St John paramedics.
"We're really thankful to a passing tourist, a fire paramedic who assisted us," Mr Christie said.
The tree was brought down after heavy overnight rain, although the rain had stopped and the road was starting to dry out when the accident happened.
The road was blocked for about an hour until it was moved and the road swept of dirt and debris.
- NZPA
