Car hits Northland road barrier, driver dies at scene

A car's driver died when the vehicle left the road on a bend after a long straight and hit the safety barrier. Photo / NZME

The death of a driver in a single-car crash has pushed Northland's road death toll to 17 so far this year.

Police Serious Crash Unit, firefighters from Kaitaia and St John paramedics were called to Pukepoto Rd, on the outskirts of central Kaitaia, just before 3am on Saturday after a Mitsubishi sedan went off the road and crashed into a road barrier.

The driver, a woman, died at the scene, while two passengers received moderate injuries and were transported to Kaitaia Hospital.

Police were not in a position to release the dead woman's identity yesterday. Kaitaia deputy fire chief Ross Beddows said the woman had died by the time emergency services arrived and that his firefighters had to wait for the go-ahead to cut her out of the wreckage.

Two appliances with 10 firefighters from Kaitaia were at the scene.

Beddows said the car left the road on a bend after a long straight and hit the safety barrier, which folded up against the vehicle.

"We used cutters and spreaders to cut the door and also had to remove the bolts from the safety barrier, which had bent quite badly. It was a very tragic accident.

"The weather was fine, it was a cold, soggy night. Diversions were in place through Okahu Rd and Pukepoto Rd was reopened by midday."

The last reported fatality on Pukepoto Rd was in January 2004 when a man lying in the middle of the northbound lane was run over by a car.

Prior to Saturday's fatality, a 45-year-old man walking with a woman in rain and darkness died after being struck by a vehicle north of Whangārei.

It is believed the couple were hitchhiking north and had been given a lift from Whangārei and dropped at Hikurangi just before the fatality on State Highway 1 about 6.40pm on August 6.

The driver of a ute stopped and was part of a team who tried to help the injured man at the scene.

An ambulance driver passing the scene stopped and people from a house next to the road climbed over their back fence and rushed to help as well.

Unfortunately, the man died at the scene and the state highway was closed for several hours while police carried out their investigations. The woman was not injured and neither were the people in the ute.

Police were appealing for witnesses who may have seen the couple walking.