Serious Crash investigator Senior Constable Warren Bunn surveys the scene where a cyclist died after being hit by a logging truck on State Highway 1. PHOTO/ Michael Cunningham
Serious Crash investigator Senior Constable Warren Bunn surveys the scene where a cyclist died after being hit by a logging truck on State Highway 1. PHOTO/ Michael Cunningham
A cyclist wearing dark clothing with no lights on his bike was struck and killed by a logging truck on State Highway 1 in Northland.
Police said the southbound truck driver thought he had struck something near Towai, 39km north-west of Whangarei, about 6.15am yesterday.The driver, who was in a line of traffic, stopped and searched the roadside using a torch but was unable to find anything and continued on his way.
Police survey the scene near Towai where a cyclist died after being struck by a logging truck. PHOTO/ Michael Cunningham
Northland road policing manager Inspector Wayne Ewers said it was while the driver was unloading logs at Marsden Point he inspected the front of his truck and noticed the damaged and called police about 7.30am.
On his return trip north the truckie stopped again at where he thought he hit something and discovered the body of a young man in a drain beside the south-bound lane, just south of the Gasoline Alley service station about 9.30am and contacted police again.
Mr Ewers said it appeared the 21-year-old cyclist had also been travelling south when he was hit. It's understood he cycled the stretch of road regularly.
Inspector Wayne Ewers. PHOTO/ Michael Cunningham
Mr Ewers confirmed the cyclist had been dressed in dark clothing and had no lights on his bike. The highway remained open while the Serious Crash Unit surveyed the scene and a kaumatua also blessed the scene.
Specialist commercial vehicle inspectors were also to examine the logging truck involved after speaking to the driver.
Police said the matter was referred to the coroner. The death takes Northland's road toll to 19 so far this year.
Meanwhile, the police Serious Crash Unit is continuing to investigate a fatal crash at Pukepoto, between Kaitaia and Ahipara, on Saturday night.
The body of a 51-year-old Ahipara man was found about 10.20pm near the wreckage of a car which emergency services believed had left the Kaitaia-Awaroa Rd at speed and landed upside-down in Waitapu Stream, near the Brass Rd intersection.
It was thought he was the driver and sole occupant but that has not been confirmed.
A police dog and handler, along with Ahipara and Kaitaia firefighters using a thermal imaging camera, searched the stream and surrounding area but found no sign of anyone else. The man's name had yet to be released at edition time yesterday.
The Pukepoto fatal was one of three serious traffic incidents in the Kaitaia area over the weekend.
Two men appeared in the Kaitaia District Court yesterday for what police say was their part in a drag-racing crash on Williams St about 3.30pm on Saturday.
A 48-year-old man who was sitting in a stationary car suffered serious leg injuries when his vehicle was struck by a stolen car. He had to be cut free by Kaitaia firefighters.
The car which struck him had been reported stolen minutes earlier. Its two occupants got into a second stolen car, also taken minutes before, and drove off.
The second stolen car was abandoned in nearby Grigg St. Police arrested two men at the North Rd Dairy, where they were eating pies, a short time later.
Ronnie Bruce, 19, and Jaydon Faliu, 20, were jointly charged with two counts of unlawful taking and one of driving at speed causing injury when they appeared in court yesterday.
Firefighters preparing to cut the driver from a car after it was hit by a stolen vehicle in Kaitaia. PHOTO/ Peter Jackson
They were remanded in custody until July 17, despite duty solicitor Wayne Cribb's claim that police had no evidence against them.
Emergency services were called back to Kaitaia-Awaroa Rd about 7.15pm on Sunday after two vehicles collided head-on east of Pukepoto.
Both drivers - an Auckland man who refused to give blood for alcohol analysis and a doctor who was heading to Kaitaia Hospital - were admitted to hospital with minor to moderate injuries.
