Fatal crash south of Whangārei - fourth death in two days

Emergency services are at the scene of a fatal accident south of Whangārei on Monday afternoon.

Police and emergency services are at the scene of a serious crash on State Highway 1, south of Whangārei, with diversions in place.

It’s believed two vehicles crashed between Totara Road and Hewlett around 2.35pm on Monday, and one person died at the scene.

Another person received serious injuries and has been transported to hospital.

State Highway 1 was closed in both directions, following the crash, but it reopened about 4.50pm. Motorists are advised to expect delays, or to avoid the area if possible.

Traffic started to back up on the highway immediately after the crash, and diversions were put in place down Salmon and Springfield roads. The Police Serious Crash Unit is investigating the crash.

This will be the third fatal crash in Northland in two days, with four people dying in them.

A 17-year-old woman died after the vehicle she was driving lost its grip amid wet conditions on State Highway 10 in Kerikeri on Sunday.

Serious crash investigator Jeff Cramp said the teen was headed south when her vehicle lost grip on the wet surface, crossed the centre line and crashed into a northbound ute.

The crash happened about midday at an area known as Bulls Gorge, where there is a large, sweeping right-hand bend.

Cramp said slippery roads caused by rain that came after weeks of dry weather helped contribute to the fatal crash.

He said there were crashes all over Northland on Sunday due to the roads getting hazardous with the bout of wet weather but most of the crashes were not serious.

‘’If you don’t drive to the conditions or if you are not aware of the hazards, this can happen quite easily.”

Cramp said on Bulls Gorge, there was another crash about 30 minutes later when another vehicle spun out and crashed into the barrier fence.

As a consequence, police organised for roading authorities to put grit down on the road, he said.

Meanwhile, the motorsport world is in mourning after a double fatality during a rally in Northland on Sunday which took the life of a promising young driver.

The driver and co-driver died in the single-car crash at about 2pm during the Arcadia Road Rallysprint in Paparoa, held by Hibiscus Coast Motorsport Club.

The fatalities occurred when the car left the road and became submerged in a swollen river, according to a police serious crash investigator. Because the crash occurred while the road was closed, the events will be investigated by WorkSafe and MotorSport NZ.

Tributes reveal the driver was 15-year-old Brooklyn Horan, who was showing promise behind the wheel despite his young age, and co-driver Tyson Jemmett.