A 46-year-old man was killed when he was crushed by his own vehicle after crashing on a rural road this weekend.
The Te Pohue man was found by two local hunters, who knew the man, early on Sunday morning.
The pair were out spotlighting, and came across the accident scene about 12.20amon Ohurakura Rd, northwest of Napier.
The hunters didn't recognise the man when they came across the wreckage, and only realised later they had known the victim.
The deceased was the sole occupant of a Ford Courier utility vehicle.
Police were still investigating the accident scene, but said it appeared he lost control on a right hand bend of the road. He had then over corrected causing the vehicle to roll several times.
Police said the man was thrown on to the road where he was crushed by his own vehicle, and died at the scene.
It appeared he was not wearing a seat belt, and police said it was a reminder to motorists to wear seatbelts at all times.
The man's name had not been released this morning, as police were waiting for confirmation his next of kin had been notified.
The manager of the nearby Te Pohue Hotel said the two hunters who found the man drove to a nearby house to call emergency services.
It took about 20 minutes for emergency services to arrive at the settlement, 50km away from Napier.
"They were on to it pretty quick," the manager said.
The hunters who came across the scene were "pretty shocked when they found out who it was".
The death is the third fatality on Hawke's Bay roads this year.
Tamataia Pera Maurangi, 35, of Auckland became the first road fatality of 2011 when the car he was driving left the road and crashed into a ditch 2km south of Hastings at 1.40am on January 1.
Hastings grandfather Alex Binns died after crashing down a bank on the Napier-Taupo road last Monday, January 24.
