Eskdale Drive, State Highway 5 where an eye witness encountered a "horrific crash". Photo / GoogleMaps
Eskdale Drive, State Highway 5 where an eye witness encountered a "horrific crash". Photo / GoogleMaps
Tony Menzies was in the right place at the right time when he witnessed a crash in Eskdale, Bay View on Sunday.
Menzies, from Bay View and qualified in first aid, was running late for work when he saw a car he thought was "going too fast around the corner"on Eskdale Drive, State Highway 5 around 7.15am.
"A few moments later after leaving my address, a truck went past me blinking its lights and around the corner was the same car, it had crashed on the opposite side of the road, the driver laying on the ground," Menzies said.
"Two people had already stopped as it happened right in front of them. I pulled over to assess what I could do as I am first aid ticketed.
Menzies said the car had hit the side of the bank "pretty hard".
"It was pretty beaten up. Approaching the crash, I could see a young man and he had not moved and the car had smoke pouring out. I took the keys out of the ignition, and handed them to one of the other guys," he said.
"The driver's side was completely smashed.
"I checked the young man to see if he was injured in any way.
"I directed traffic until the first responders showed up."
"He [the young man] was badly beat up. He came to and started freaking out," Menzies said.
"I asked him his name, and if he was hurt. He stood up mentioning his leg. His right leg was pretty swollen up, he tried to rip his jumper off and then he said 'my chest hurts'
"I asked him to sit down so I could check him, and told him that I was first aid qualified. I asked him to move his toes which he could not do, and explained to him that his chest would hurt due to the adrenalin from the crash and explained he needed to stay seated."
Menzies then noticed a female in the back of the car, and when he went to check on her he thought she was in a worse state.
"She was leaning forward, wasn't saying anything wasn't speaking, For me, as someone qualified in first aid, the fact she wasn't speaking was worrying. But thankfully none of their injuries were life-threatening," he said.
A St John ambulance spokeswoman said both people were transported to the Hawke's Bay Hospital in a moderate condition.
Menzies said it took about 15 minutes for police and ambulance to arrive on the scene.
"I drive these roads every day and knowing that freaks me out a bit," he said.
"I hope they are both recovering well and my heart goes out to the family of them both."
Police re-direct traffic after a fatal crash involving two vehicles between Waipawa and Otane on Saturday. Photo / Paul Taylor
The Eskdale crash was the second one over the weekend, with the first being a fatal on Saturday, making it the 17th death on Hawke's Bay roads this year.
Emergency services were called to a the scene of a serious two-vehicle crash on SH2, Waipawa, Central Hawke's Bay on Saturday.
The crash occurred around 11.40am.
One person died following the crash, and a police spokeswoman said they would release the name of the person when they were in a position to do so.
