Jogger forced to jump to safety

An Ahipara man was perhaps lucky to survive unscathed from an early morning jog along Takahe St yesterday.

Soon after 6am a car travelling on the far side of the street, heading east, crossed the centre line.

The jogger, who was wearing a fluoro jacket, moved on to the grass verge as it approached. He moved to the footpath as it kept coming, before leaping over a bush and a fence to get out of its way.

As he did, the car struck a shallow drain and flipped end for end, coming to rest on its roof.

A police spokesman said the driver, a 24-year-old local man, was treated by St John paramedics after complaining of a sore head.

His 17-year-old male passenger, a local who had been hitch hiking, escaped unscathed. It was initially believed a woman was in the car but had fled the scene. That was later discounted by police.

Blood was taken from the driver for alcohol analysis while inquiries are being made into the origins of a television set found in the car, which was suspected as having been stolen.