Another young life has been claimed on a Rotorua road.
Former Te Kura o Te Koutu student Okeroa Douglas was killed in a road smash on State Highway 5 near Rotorua on Friday night. The car she was in hit a power pole next to the Lake View Golf Course just
north of Rotorua at 9.55pm. Okeroa died at the scene, while the front seat passenger was taken to hospital with head injuries.
On Saturday morning, a van load of Rotorua Girls' High School students crashed into a bank, leaving two people with minor injuries. The van, which was carrying the school's junior basketball team up to a tournament in Auckland, slid on some ice before it crashed into the bank near Rotorua.
These two crashes come as we reach the anniversary of last year's Black July - a time when the Rotorua community was rocked by fatal crashes involving the city's youth. Two Rotorua teenagers died and at least 15 others were injured in three separate road crashes. Another Rotorua teen died in August as a result of one of the July crashes.
Reporoa College student Aaliyah Cara Mita died on July 4 after suffering fatal injuries in a crash along Owhata Rd on July 1.
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of a crash involving a group of 12 Rotorua teenagers on State Highway 5, 14km south of Rotorua. The van crossed the centreline, hit a bank and rolled. Six of those students were from John Paul College and one, Jesse Howe, died on August 8.
On July 23, a day after she and four friends were involved in a collision with another vehicle, Rotorua Girls' High School student Kristi-Rae Ruri-Gardiner died.
Last year's Black July is not something we want repeated.
The latest victim was a rising star. Okeroa was a representative hockey, touch and tennis player who could speak at least three languages. She was a much-loved young woman who had a bright future..
Our thoughts go out to Okeroa's family.
