Fortunately the occupant was not home when this damage was caused by the Kensington car crash. Photo / Denise Piper
Fortunately the occupant was not home when this damage was caused by the Kensington car crash. Photo / Denise Piper
Sheer luck is all that stopped residents from being seriously hurt when a speeding car went airborne, flying over a Whangārei property before crashing through the roof.
Police say they were “incredibly fortunate” not to be dealing with any deaths as a result.
Whangārei resident Ruby, who asked that her surname not be used, was sleeping in her unit in Millers Lane, Kensington, when she was woken by a thud late last night.
Having heard about previous crashes at the property, she got up to see her neighbour’s unit devastated by the impact of the crash.
Her neighbour, understood to be a man in his 80s, was fortunately not home as he was staying in hospital for an unrelated matter.
She believed the car flew over her unit before landing on her neighbour’s unit.
The car flew over the first half of the property where Ruby was sleeping, before crashing through the second half. Photo / Denise Piper
A piece of fence came through the roof of Ruby’s house, embedding itself into the ceiling in her garage, but luckily it missed where she was sleeping.
Senior Sergeant Rene Rakete, the Whangārei area response manager, said it was incredibly fortunate police were not dealing with any fatalities and that the home had been unoccupied.
He said a police dog handler had tried unsuccessfully to track down the vehicle’s occupants, who had not yet been found.
The driver was believed to have fled the crash.
A piece of fence came through Ruby's roof, becoming embedded in her garage ceiling. Photo / Denise Piper
Rakete said police were continuing to investigate the crash.
Ruby said the Whangārei District Council (WDC) needed to put up protective barriers around the property, to stop cars crashing into it.
She said this was at least the third time a car had come crashing down on to the property, and residents have long advocated for some protection.
WDC transport strategy and planning lead Nick Marshall said council records showed that since 2015 two vehicles had crashed off the road at the location and landed on private property.
The council had considered a crash barrier in 2019, but the “complex geometry” between Millers Lane and Whareora Rd, as well as the topography, such as land sloping steeply, would have made constructing an effective barrier difficult.
Marshall said the path would need to be widened, retaining walls built and pedestrian facilities at Whareora Rd relocated.
“In short, there is not enough ground at the edge of the road left here to hold up any barrier constructed without building significant foundations.”
Marshall said the council had concerns about how effective a barrier would be at the location, given the angle at which cars seemed to leave the road.
“The three crashes in this location would have hit any barrier at 90 degrees. At this angle, a vehicle crashing at this high speed ... would be likely to ‘punch’ through a crash-barrier, resulting in the car still ending up in the property.”
Marshall said the council had sought funding from the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi for the project in the 2024-2027 Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) but was unsuccessful.
“Council will continue to seek funding for safety improvements at this location in future Long Term Plans.”
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has had more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
