Passersby praised for attempts to save motorcyclist

A woman who was one of the first at the scene of a fatal crash in Dunedin has praised those who tried to save a motorcyclist's life.

Police confirmed one person died following a crash between a car and motorcycle at 12.55pm at the intersection of Brighton Rd and Viscount Rd in Waldronville yesterday.

Dione Cairns, who lives a couple of houses down from the scene, said she heard a loud "bang" and rushed outside, along with some of her neighbours.

"There was no screeching or revving or anything like that," she said.

She saw a car stopped in the middle of the road, and a man lying on the road beside a motorbike.

The man had lost consciousness, and one of the witnesses started performing CPR.

"We tried for quite a while, others were trying to direct traffic, to keep that flowing and stop people from stopping."

There was quite a bit of damage to the motorcycle, she said.

The woman who was driving the car involved was "really shaken up".

"She was in shock and in tears; didn't know really what was going on."

Fire crews arrived at the scene and tried to revive the motorcyclist, before St John ambulance staff arrived and tried to do the same.

But they were unsuccessful, Miss Cairns said.

Police said the Serious Crash Unit was investigating.