Motorcyclist serious after police u-turn accident

The injured motorcyclist is attended to at the scene of the accident.

A motorcyclist was seriously hurt yesterday when he crashed into a police car doing a u-turn to pursue a speeding vehicle.

It is the second accident involving bike riders crashing into u-turning squad cars in just over a week.

Yesterday's crash happened about 9.40am on SH2 near Maramarua when the officer went to answer a call about a speeding Mercedes.

A witness said the collision sent the motorbike flying into the air before it crashed on to the road.

The motorcyclist was left conscious but had serious leg injuries.

"It looked as though his foot was hanging off his ankle.

"He was talking, though, and it looked like he was trying to get a number off his cellphone."

The man was very pale and was cared for by a doctor who stopped at the crash scene.

The witness said the policeman was feeling "pretty bad" and was heard asking the motorcyclist what direction he was headed in.

"The [speeding] Mercedes overtook me and the police car turned its lights on and then did a u-turn. I asked him [the police officer] if he was chasing the Mercedes and he said that he was and had clocked it at 142 km/h."

On December 2, two riders were seriously hurt in the Upper Buller Gorge on the West Coast when they crashed into a police car doing a u-turn to pursue a speeding motorcyclist.