Fatal house-truck crash probed

LETHAL SMASH: The scene of a fatal accident near Kai Iwi on Tuesday night. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A 74-year-old man has died after the ute he was driving collided with a truck carrying a house.

The crash happened on SH3 just south of the Kai Iwi township at 10pm on Tuesday.

Whanganui Police said the man, the sole occupant of a red Toyota ute, was travelling north when he hit the house-moving truck heading south. The ute also hit the vehicle behind the truck.

The man died at the scene. Police said his name would not be released until next of kin had been informed. Cordons were put in place around the scene while the police serious crash unit carried out an investigation.

The Wanganui Chronicle understands the house was being moved by Bulls-based Central House Movers. No-one from the company was available to comment yesterday.

Sandy, who did not want to give her last name, was driving home to Maxwell from Wanganui, when she came across the accident. "I could see flashing lights and I thought they [the truck and pilot vehicles] were just going slowly. It was quite wide so I pulled over to let them go past."

Sandy had her camera with her so she began taking "pretty pictures" of the flashing lights. But she quickly realised something was wrong.

"The truck was up against the bank, on the wrong side of the road, and there were ambulances and fire trucks there."

Sandy realised she could be held up for some time so she drove carefully past the accident and continued to Maxwell.

"When I went past I could see them taking the roof off the ute, so I thought it must have been quite serious."

John Stretton from St John said ambulance crews attended but had little to do. "The driver of the ute was already deceased, and none of the people in the other vehicles required any medical treatment," he said.