Fatal end to police pursuit

The station wagon driver died instantly and van occupants were injured. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Police say they pulled out of a high-speed pursuit near Gordonton just 10 seconds before a fatal collision yesterday.

The driver was spotted weaving in and out of traffic at speeds in excess of 100km/h before the crash.

He was killed instantly after colliding with a van carrying six Telstra Clear workers on Gordonton Rd, northeast of Hamilton, yesterday afternoon.

The van occupants were taken to Waikato Hospital, but none was thought to have life-threatening injuries.

The police chase came less than 24 hours after a mob of drunken teenagers set upon police officers in the nearby town of Ngaruawahia. The community was left reeling.

Speaking at the scene of the crash, Inspector Leo Tooman said the pursuit had lasted less than two minutes.

The pursuing officer was pulling out of a BP station on the corner of Horsham Downs Rd and Thomas Rd, in Hamilton, when he became concerned about the speed at which the blue Mazda station wagon was being driven.

Tooman said the officer "thought he should have a look at the vehicle".

The car failed to stop when the officer turned on his sirens and was pursued north onto Gordonton Rd.

The pursuit was abandoned when the Mazda began dangerously overtaking a line of vehicles, Tooman said.

"Three hundred metres later he saw a cloud of dust and saw the Mazda collide with the van."

Tooman said the Mazda driver was dead when the officer arrived at the scene, near the intersection of Gordonton Rd and Puketaha Rd.

The van, carrying men aged in their 20s and 30s, had been travelling north on Gordonton Rd. The men were assisted out of the vehicle by the pursuing police officer and bystanders.

Waikato Hospital spokeswoman said last night they were still under assessment for "injuries consistent with a motor vehicle accident".

Margot Hjelmstrom, who lives nearby, said the van had come to rest on its side against a power pole, and the men emerged from the wreck bloodied and disoriented.

Another neighbour, who didn't want to be named, said she could hear the car approaching, followed by an "almighty crash".

The Mazda had "barrel rolled" about 60m away from the van before stopping. "It was a mess. It was obvious there would be no survivors."

Bystanders said they had seen the vehicle "passing and weaving in and out of traffic."

She said a resident of Borman Rd told her he'd narrowly pulled his son, who was riding his bike on the road, out of the path of the driver.

Another Borman Rd resident said he saw the vehicle pass by at "well over 100km/h" in the 80km zone. He said the police car was following with lights and sirens on, "but it was quite a long way back from the car".

The Independent Police Conduct Authority is investigating the crash.

A motorcyclist who had been pursued by police was critically injured in a crash in West Auckland last night. The biker crashed after colliding with a raised traffic island about 9.40pm.

Police said the biker had been pursued after speeding near Red Beach, north of Auckland.

Inspector Lou Alofa said the chase was called off 20 minutes before the crash.