Helping a good Samaritan get back on his feet

When Matawai man John Fisher stopped to assist at the scene of a burning vehicle on State Highway 2 last Friday, the last thing he expected was the driver of that vehicle to steal his brand new ute. It was ruined as the driver continued to evade police. For Mr Fisher it added to a run of bad luck, and came just as he was getting back on his feet. Matawai mate Robert Richardson has set up a Givealittle page to support him. “Nobody deserves this,” Mr Richardson said. Mr Fisher’s employer Hirepool has allowed him to use the service truck (pictured) until he can get his own vehicle. Picture by Liam Clayton

WHEN Matawai man John Fisher’s ute was stolen from him after he stopped to help at an accident scene last Friday morning, it happened at the worst possible time.

Two years ago he and his wife separated. He had a heart attack a few months after and in the following year a fledgling biofuel business in Indonesia collapsed and he lost his New Zealand house.

He returned to Gisborne and, after working for a while, thought he would either take his son overseas for a holiday or get a ute. He chose the ute.

“I needed it for work.”

Mr Fisher travels daily during the week between Matawai and Gisborne, where he works as a mechanic at Hirepool, and always stops to help people with flat tyres or engine problems.

When he came across a burning vehicle on a dangerous stretch of State Highway 2, his first thought was to check if anyone was in danger.

“I thought ‘is anyone trapped inside and how can I get them out’.”

Five years ago he witnessed the aftermath of an accident on SH2 just south of the Kaitaratahi Bridge, where a vehicle caught fire and three of the occupants died, trapped by their seatbelts.

Since then he has always carried a fire extinguisher and a Stanley knife in his vehicles, just in case he needs to cut somebody out.

As he approached the flaming wreckage on Otoko Hill on Friday, he asked a man who appeared to be the driver, if everyone was out.

“He said, ‘Yeah bro’. Then as I was scanning the bank for any occupants, a truck driver who had also stopped, said,

‘Is that your mate? He's taking your ute’.”

Ute leavingMr Fisher tried to stop him, but he was about 50 metres away.

Over the next three hours the 19-year-old fled police. After Mr Fisher’s ute ran over police spikes the tyres were torn off and the ute was running on the rims.

The police chase ended at the Jackson Road intersection at Waerenga a Hika.

By the end of the chase, Mr Fisher’s 14-day-old 2017 Great Wall ute was wrecked.

He had financed the purchase of the ute and fortunately had insurance.

However, the ute was an ex-demo and the GST had been knocked off the sale price.

Including insurance costs, he is about $7000 worse off.

“After it was stolen, I was angry. It was just as I was getting my head above the parapet.

“But what eased that anger is the police did a sterling job. The potential for loss of life was huge. Nobody died — the ute was only a possession.”

Matawai mechanic Robert Richardson has set up a Givealittle page to help his mate get back on his feet

“The poor bugger,” said Mr Robertson, who had helped Mr Fisher find a place to live in Matawai.

“He has been through so much. Things were just starting to tick over for him and he was just being a good samaritan. He has had a bad run and does not deserve this.”

The aim is to raise just enough to get Mr Fisher back to where he started, while any extra will be donated to St John New Zealand.

Mr Fisher said he was “very humbled” by the support.

His employer has allowed him to use the firm’s service vehicle in the short term until he can find his own transport.

“I didn’t expect this kind of support. I'm very grateful.”

Despite the ordeal, it has not put him off helping in similar situations in the slightest.

“I would stop and help again, just make sure I have got my keys with me next time.”