Councillor Rick Currach was on the way to a council meeting when he crashed his e-scooter. Photo / George Novak
Councillor Rick Currach was on the way to a council meeting when he crashed his e-scooter. Photo / George Novak
Councillor Rick Curach has been left battered and bruised after crashing his electric scooter.
The six-term Tauranga City councillor broke two bones in his left hand and suffered multiple nasty gashes to his face in the accident, which knocked him out.
Curach, 60, said he left his Bayfair home about1.25pm on Thursday to head to a council meeting.
He took the Matapihi cycleway as he had hundreds of times since buying his e-scooter two years ago.
Curach said he was going close to his top speed of 30km/h when he rounded a corner and saw a pyramid of stones in his path in front of the rail crossing.
Councillor Rick Curach with his damaged helmet at the crossing where he crashed his e-scooter. Photo / George Novak
The next thing he remembered was waking up on the sidewalk and seeing the detached front wheel of the scooter next to him.
He had no idea how long he was out and no memory of the crash.
Piecing together what happened, Curach believed he hit the stones and the wheel came off, dropping the scooter frame down on to the forks, which ground into the tarseal.
Curach was "catapulted over the handlebars" and landed on his head, skidding along on his helmet.
He ended up lying unconscious about 5m from the stones.
Council IT contractor Andy Sykes was cycling home when he saw Curach lying on the path.
Sykes said the councillor was awake but delirious and his face was covered in blood from gashes that were "bleeding profusely".
"He was very confused. He kept asking me the same questions again and again."
A nearby worker came over and called an ambulance while Sykes tried to clean up some of the blood.
A motorist, Dan, also stopped to help.
Concerned about how long the ambulance was taking and fearing a concussion, they put Curach in Dan's car and took him to The Doctors at Bayfair. Sykes followed on his bike.
Sykes said the stones were not there when he biked the path to work at 7am.
Curach, who was back in council today,said he was grateful to everyone who helped, and especially grateful to his helmet.
He said the depth of scrapes on the helmet indicated he would be facing - at best - a serious head wound without it.
"I feel so lucky - lucky I was wearing my helmet."
"It could have been a whole lot worse."
He suspected children left the pyramid of stones.
"Boys will be boys."
Councillor Rick Curach credits his helmet for preventing a serious head injury. Photo / George Novak
He was reconsidering scootering after the crash but did not think he would give it up.
"I really enjoy it and normally it's safe."
He said he might go "a bit slower" in the future.
Curach commended Auckland Council's decision to introduce a 15km/h scootering speed limit on CBD footpaths.
Regarding the rise of scooter rental services like Lime, he said he was glad Tauranga's council was waiting to see how they went in other cities.
The councillor has been on the receiving end of some ribbing from his council colleagues, including the suggestion he changes his well-known "Pick Rick" election campaign slogan to "Pick up Rick".
Rick Curach with one of his campaign signs in 2013. File photo
