Person critically injured after incident in Rangitīkei district

A person in a critical condition was flown to hospital following an incident in Rangiwaea in the Rangitīkei district.

Police said they were making inquiries after a person in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) was allegedly rammed then assaulted in Koukoupo Rd, Rangiwaea.

A police spokeswoman said the serious assault took place on a private property in Rangiwaea on Wednesday after a vehicle rammed an ATV off Koukoupo Rd.

“The occupant of the offending vehicle has then gotten out and is reported to have assaulted a person in the ATV.”

The critically injured person was flown by helicopter to Whanganui Hospital.

Those involved were known to each other and inquiries were ongoing to locate the offender who left the scene before police arrived, the spokeswoman said.

A Hato Hone St John spokeswoman said two ambulances attended the crash at 3.15pm on Wednesday.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said fire crews from Taihape and Waiouru attended.

“They were assisting ambulances with transferring the patient to a helicopter.”

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.