The patient refused hospital transportation, she said.
A police spokesman confirmed the patient died at home and inquiries into the cause of the crash were ongoing.
Pukehina Beach Rd is accessed from State Highway 2 between Tauranga and Whakatāne, with the crash occurring at the coastal township end of the road.
A Pukehina resident told the Bay of Plenty Times he was one of the first people at the crash scene, arriving about two minutes after it happened and shortly before the Pukehina station firefighters, who were the first responders.
The resident, who spoke on the condition he was not named, said he was first alerted to the crash after hearing continuous car horns. He said lots of people were running down the street from their properties to find out what was going on.
He said the driver had somehow managed to get himself out of the vehicle, which was on a grass berm. It appeared to have struck a road sign before it hit the brick fence of a nearby house and rolled.
The resident said some of the bricks were propelled about 10m into the cladding of a nearby house.
He estimated the male driver was in his 40s and described him as being in “relatively good condition” when the resident arrived, but he had a head injury with superficial bleeding.
The first-aid-trained resident said he believed the injured man was probably going into shock and was a “bit disorientated”.
“I tried to calm him and get him to agree to sit down to give him first-aid, but he was so confused, he wasn’t concerned about himself. His main priority was getting his phone and licence from the damaged car,” he said.
The resident said there was significant damage to the front of the car, including a dislodged driver’s-side front wheel.
He said two or three other people assisted with providing first-aid to the injured driver before the firefighters and ambulance staff arrived.
The resident said he wanted to pay tribute to the firefighters from Pukehina Station.
“They arrived quite quickly, probably two minutes after I did, and their response time and the way they took control was incredible, and their service was exemplary.”
He said he was saddened to learn the driver had died.
“It’s sad for his family and for everyone who was involved in trying to help him,” he said.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
