Remuera worksite death: Concrete worker run over by own truck after bid to stop vehicle

A pool builder was the first to rush to the aid of a concrete truck driver fatally run over by his own vehicle in a devastating worksite accident.

Police were called to a residential property in Remuera on Rangitoto Ave just after 9am.

Initially it was reported the person had suffered critical injuries, but shortly after 1pm police confirmed a person had died.

Police confirmed that the victim was the driver of the truck.

Ants, a worker at the site, told the Herald he witnessed the fatal accident alongside a colleague, saying there was little that could be done to save the man.

“I was on site, the truck driver turned up, jumped out of his truck and gave the paperwork to us, then tried to jump back in his truck.

“The truck started rolling forward, the driver tried to stop the truck because it was heading towards another house and then he fell over and went under the back wheels of his own truck.

“Myself and another college were first there.

“I ran around to the front of the truck to make sure no one else was inside and then ran back to my colleague, which let me know he was gone,” Ants said.

“We are okay, but we can’t get the image out of our heads, and we feel so sorry for his family.

“No one deserves to go to work and never come home. It has really taken a toll on everyone involved.”

A person died after an accident with a concrete truck on Rangitoto Ave, Remuera. Photo / Dean Purcell

Ants said it was the concrete driver’s first day at the site.

Images from the scene show an Atlas Concrete truck leaning slightly on its side, crushing one side of the house.

A neighbour said concrete was being poured at the house behind the one the truck toppled in to.

The owner of the front property told the Herald she was not at home when the accident occurred as her house was being renovated.

She said painters were set to arrive that morning and paint the side of the house where the truck fell.

The owner said the painter was “extremely lucky” to have avoided the accident as he arrived after it occurred.

Atlas Concrete declined to comment when approached by the Herald.

“An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is under way and WorkSafe has been advised,” police said.

WorkSafe extended its sympathy to the whānau, friends, and colleagues of the worker who died.

The concrete truck rolled in to a house on Rangitoto Ave, Remuera. Photo / Dean Purcell

“Initial information indicates the incident was construction-related, but our inspectors are attending the scene today to gather evidence and understand the circumstances,” a spokesperson said.

“Construction has among the highest rates of acute and chronic harm. It accounts for around 15% of work-related fatalities and serious injuries. Vehicles, moving machinery, heavy objects, and earthworks pose serious risks on building construction sites.”

Last year, a roadworker was struck and killed by a truck in the same central Auckland suburb, Remuera.

Auckland City Police Senior Sergeant Kuhrt Wieneke told NZME the truck had rolled down the hill and collided with the worker on the street.

He was transported to hospital and died from his injuries.

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