Motorcyclist killed in Hawke's Bay Expressway crash named

The motorcyclist who died after colliding with a truck on the Hawke's Bay Expressway, Napier, on October 2 has been named as Eric David Gordon. Photo / Paul Taylor

The motorcyclist who died after colliding with a truck on the Hawke's Bay Expressway, Napier has been named as Eric David Gordon.

Emergency services were called to the two-vehicle crash between Watchman Rd and Main North Rd about 7.32am on October 2.

The 36-year-old was from Napier.

"Our sympathies are with his family and friends at this time," a police spokeswoman said.

Sixteen people have died on Hawke's Bay roads in 2020 – the joint highest death toll in the previous five years.

Of the 16 fatalities, nine have occurred on state highways, four on open roads and three on urban roads.

The fatal accident on October 2 was the second motorcyclist to die on Hawke's Bay roads this year.

Eight drivers have died, as well as four passengers and two pedestrians.

Part of Hawke's Bay Expressway was closed for up to seven hours as police scene investigators tried to establish a cause, before Napier City Council contractors resurfaced the road.

An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is ongoing.