A car rolled 100m down the side of a bank on SH25/Manaia Rd in Kereta, Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / Fire and Emergency NZ
A car rolled 100m down the side of a bank on SH25/Manaia Rd in Kereta, Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / Fire and Emergency NZ
A motorist who survived a 100m cliff plunge is lucky to be alive after their vehicle careened off a wet rural road and crashed down a steep bank in Coromandel overnight.
A local firefighter in charge of the near four-hour rescue to reach the stricken driver told the Herald “theguy is extremely lucky” that the car came to rest in bush partway down the cliff.
Emergency services were called just before 1am to the crash off SH25 in Kereta, a remote part of the Coromandel Peninsula.
The driver spent close to four hours on the cliff before a specialist ropes rescue team managed to extricate them – but incredibly he had suffered only moderate injuries.
The injured motorist was flown to hospital for treatment.
Coromandel Volunteer Fire Brigade officer in charge Rob Craw told the Herald the outcome could have been tragic and it was remarkable that he only suffered moderate injuries.
“If it was an open paddock, he would have rolled all the way to the bottom, but dense bush thankfully stopped him.
“It’s a roll-the-dice kind of thing, some people walk away and some people don’t, so yes, he’s extremely lucky.”
MetService data shows there had been light rain around the time of the crash, which happened on a winding section of SH25 known as Manaia Rd.
Crews worked a "high-angle" rescue to recover the driver, who escaped with moderate injuries. Photo / Fire and Emergency NZ
Crews were first called at 12.53am, with the first arriving half an hour later.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand sent a rope rescue team from Hamilton along with crews from Coromandel, Manaia Rural, Tapu, Thames and Tairua, northern shift manager Ryan Geen said.
The Level 3 ropes team rescued the person from the vehicle and handed them over to paramedics at 4.47am.
Hato Hone St John sent an ambulance and a helicopter and treated one person in a moderate condition, a spokesman said. They were expected to be flown to either Auckland City or Waikato Hospital.
Craw has praised the training and work of the “high-angle” rescue and told the Herald it was a very technical rescue that took a long time.
“I have to acknowledge the training and work of the team. Their professionalism was outstanding.
“Police were great too and very understanding ... the agencies worked extremely well together ... rural teams work so well together.”
The vehicle plunged 100m off the side of SH25, close to this section of the highway, which is shut due to weather damage. Photo / NZTA
The crash happened just south of a closed-off section of SH25, which was damaged in the wild weather caused by Cyclone Vaianu over the weekend.
