Kristin Edge
A man is dead despite fellow bike riders trying desperately to resuscitate him after he crashed off his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on a rural Northland road.
But 51-year-old Guy Lawrence Cole, could not be revived and he died on Kokopu Rd, about 3pm on Saturday. A 38-year-old female pillion passenger was flown by helicopter to Whangarei Hospital where she is in a serious but stable condition with chest injuries.
The fatality takes Northland's provisional road toll to 28 compared with 30 for the whole of 2007.
Whangarei police Sergeant Howard Clement said the couple had been riding with a group.
Mr Cole had been riding second in the group with the rest following about 70m behind.
Mr Clement said it appeared the bike had failed to take a sharp right-hand corner near Malone Rd and crashed into a roadside ditch.
The following riders had stopped and some started administering CPR on Mr Cole while others comforted the injured woman.
St John Ambulance medics took over CPR when they arrived but to no avail.
A post-mortem was to be carried out.
Meanwhile, a young woman who tried to save the life of another road-crash victim in the Bay of Islands has been praised by police. Heather Gordon, 67, of Haruru Falls, died when she lost control of her car on State Highway 10 at Waipapa on Thursday.
Constable Susan Morrison, of Kerikeri police, said a 22-year-old woman had got out of her car, leapt into the back of the victim's car and had administered CPR until police arrived.
"It was a really brave thing to do and we'd like to thank her for her efforts."
It has also been revealed that a Kawakawa woman killed by a runaway trailer carrying fence posts was on her way to Auckland to collect family for a Christmas reunion.
Miriam Matene, 44, died last Wednesday after a trailer being towed behind a light truck collided with her car.
Her adopted three-month-old baby boy is in a serious condition in Starship Hospital's intensive care unit.
A family spokesman said Ms Matene had been looking forward to a family reunion she had been organising and had been driving to Auckland Airport to collect her family when the tragedy happened.
Ms Matene was being laid to rest today at the Puke Koukou cemetery in Whirinaki, near Opononi.
Police are still investigating how the trailer collided with the northbound light truck.
One dies, one hurt in bike crash
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