Witness tells of horror crash that killed elderly pedestrian

An elderly man has died after being struck by a car on a pedestrian crossing in Bureta, the second road fatality in Tauranga in two days.

Senior Sergeant Ian Campion, head of Western Bay road policing, said the man, 87, from Tauranga, was using the Vale St pedestrian crossing about 10.30am yesterday when he was struck by a car travelling east towards Tauranga city centre.

Campion said a doctor and nursing staff from the nearby medical centre rushed out and attended the man, but he died at the scene.

The female driver was assisting police with their inquiries, he said.

A badly shaken Tauranga woman, known only as Lynette, told the Bay of Plenty Times she witnessed the crash.

Lynette said she had been one of a number of passengers on a bus heading towards the CBD.

"From my seat on the bus I could see it all. It was so horrible and very tragic."

She said the man was hit halfway across the pedestrian crossing.

He was flung into the air and crashed down on the ground.

"I prayed to our Lord Jesus Christ to comfort the old man and end his suffering. Blood was coming from his head and there was blood everywhere on the ground. I knew straight way he was probably gone or unlikely to survive.

"I yelled out to the car driver to stop as I heard and saw it coming. We all heard it on the bus and some of the other passengers who also saw the collision started crying," she said.

Lynette said some passengers hopped off the bus to comfort the victim, and reassured him help was on the way, and someone else came over put a blanket over him.

Vale St residents, who did not wish to be named, told the Bay of Plenty Times that the crossing was the "worst" in Tauranga with numerous near misses.

"It's absolutely diabolical at times to cross as people don't slow down, and some drivers go at a terrific speed. I've seen pedestrians halfway across nearly get hit many times as cars just keep coming," one said.

"I have just about had half of my toenails cut off by car on this crossing," another resident said.

On Wednesday, former Farmers boss Rod McDermott died after a car and truck collided on Welcome Bay Rd, between Reid Rd and Kairua Rd.

The Serious Crash Unit was investigating.