Tauranga street racers: Mum says teen daughter hit by ute sliding into crowd ‘could have died’

A teenager suffered broken bones and leg lacerations after a ute doing donuts smashed into bystanders at an illegal car meet.

Her disgusted mother has now spoken out saying her heart felt “ripped apart” after the teen was injured on State Highway 36 near TECT Park in the Western Bay of Plenty about midnight on Saturday.

A second injured teenager has also come forward, saying she suffered a concussion and the last thing she remembers from the event was “being hit by the back of the truck”.

The incident happened at one of three illegal street racing events police were called to that night in and around Tauranga. Police say about 300 vehicles were involved, two bystanders were injured after being hit, one person was arrested and one car was impounded.

Locals have slammed the gatherings, with one saying they blocked her route to hospital with a passenger “struggling to breathe”, while another was “outraged” after a “mob of people” took over a neighbourhood intersection doing donuts and waking people with loud revving, yelling and fireworks.

The mother of the first injured teen, who spoke on condition neither was named, told the Bay of Plenty Times said a ute was “sliding into the crowd” before her daughter was hit.

“One lot of the crowd jumps back and the other gets clipped.”

The Bay of Plenty Times has seen videos showing a white ute doing donuts in the centre of a group of onlookers. The back of the ute swings towards a group of people. Some jump back and avoid it but at least two take a direct hit and are thrown to the ground. They get up shortly afterwards as others gather around them.

A white ute was involved in the incident.

The mother said she understood six people were “clipped” by a ute at the event.

“My daughter was the first one and got thrown. She could have died.

“We’re just grateful she’s alive.”

She said her daughter spent about seven hours in hospital with broken bones and leg injuries.

“It’s disgusting. I’ve been in tears because my daughter’s been in tears with that much pain,” she said.

“It’s indescribable how a mother’s heart has been ripped apart when her teenage daughter goes through this.

“I would not want any other mother or daughter to go through this.”

She said drivers “swiping” or “scraping” the crowd was more dangerous than people seemed to realise.

She explained it involved drivers doing a donut and “swiping” close to the crowd, meaning bystanders had to jump out of the way or risk getting hit.

Her daughter had never been to an event like this and had “no clue”, she said.

The mother said the “organised event” was promoted via word of mouth and social media.

“My daughter just happened to think, ‘Oh, that will be cool’ and went along.

“She’d only been there five minutes and this happened.”

Her daughter had been having nightmares since.

“She’s afraid of closing her eyes and reliving it.”

The teenager suffered injuries to her leg and broken bones.

The mother said the wounds needed to be dressed every day for three or four weeks.

The mother said she was trying not to feel angry or vengeful and wanted to forgive the person responsible.

“But that’s hard because any parent would want revenge.”

A second teenager hit at the event said the last thing she remembered was “being hit by the back of the truck”.

”I just remember seeing the back of the truck coming around. I just froze and couldn’t move.

”I was blacking out every 30 seconds. And I couldn’t stay conscious, I couldn’t focus on one person.”

The teenager, who also spoke on the condition she was not named, went to hospital after getting a concussion and bruises. Since being discharged, she said she had been getting “really bad migraines”.

”It’s hard to sleep at night ... I just can’t think of anything else when I’m trying to sleep, I can just remember vividly being hit.”

Her mother said if it were not for the support of other spectators, “we honestly do not know what could or would’ve happened if they had not taken care of our daughter after she had been hit”.

A police spokeswoman said inquiries into the incident where the girls were injured were ongoing and no arrests had been made yet.

Police have previously said illegal street racing events were “of huge concern”, as they disrupted the public and put other drivers at risk.

The first gathering was reported on State Highway 36 near Whataroa Rd late on Saturday night and two bystanders received minor injuries.

At Turret Rd after a meet at Welcome Bay Link Rd the same night, a 24-year-old man was arrested for failing to stop and sustained loss of traction. A vehicle was also impounded.

Police were later called to the intersection of Cameron Rd and 11th Ave around 2am but people were quickly dispersed, the spokesman said.

“Inquiries continue to identify and hold people accountable.”

The spokesman said this behaviour was “incredibly risky” to those participating in vehicles, to bystanders, and to other members of the public.

Witnesses were urged to report any street racing to police immediately, with as much detail as could be safely obtained, including registration numbers and photos or video.

Even if infringements were not issued at the time, police could follow up.

The spokesman said illegal street-racing often involved large numbers of vehicles driving in an unsafe manner, as well as pedestrians watching.

“As such, the police need to balance attending, issuing infringements and dispersing vehicles with ensuring our police staff and those involved remain safe.”

The spokesman said the police were working alongside partners, such as councils, to help create solutions.

CORRECTION

The incident happened on the highway near TECT Park, not in the park.