Youth drowns after fight with undertow

Press, 4 December 1978, Page 1

Youth drowns after fight with undertow

PA Auckland One person drowned and several, had narrow escapes al beaches on the west coast of Auckland yesterday.

The man drowned was David. Neill McDougall, aged 20, a research officer, of Wellington. A week-end trip to Auckland to see David Bowie’s concert ended in tragedy at Muriwai Beach for a group of young Wellington people. McDougall, who was among the group, drowned at an isolated spot 10 miles up the beach from surf patrol headquarters. Two of his friends, Roger Green and Christopher John Harris, who made a vain life-saving attempt were taken to hospital suffering from shock, after a 15minute battle against a fierce undertow. They were later discharged. When the group first saw Muriwai Beach they believed that the water looked placid enough, but a strong rip and a fierce undertow nearly prevented their getting back to shore. Two girls in the group screamed for help, and a youth on a beach buggy sped to telephone a doctor and the police. However, McDougal] was dead when he was dragged from the surf. Life-savers at Karekare Beach rescued a fisherman who was swept from rocks, and then saved six separate swimmers in quick succession.

One had an epileptic fit in the two-metre surf, two surfboard riders were swept 500 m out to a rocky island, and three other swimmers got into difficulties in a rip.

Three more persons were rescued at other west coast beaches. The road toll continued to rise at the week-end. A youth was killed in an accident near Otematata about 9 a.m. yesterday morning. He was

Alister John Maxwell, aged about 18, of Pareora.

Two other persons in the car suffered injuries and were taken to Oamaru. Hospital. Their names and conditions were not available last evening. The car apparently rolled over several times and came to rest on the side of the road just west of the Otematata Saddle. The police said that it was “completely written off.”

In Auckland a man in his early 20s was killed when a car hit a power pole and then careered into a brick W'all in Middleton Road, Newmarket, at 7.45 p.m. yesterday.

Two other occupants of the car were taken to Auckland Hospital for treatment. The dead man had not been identified last evening. A man was killed in the Maitai Valley, near Nelson, last evening when a late-model utility truck went down a bank at 6.15 p.m. The dead man’s name was not available last evening; the other occupants did not suffer injuries.

A young man was killed early yesterday when the car in which he was a passenger failed to take a bend on State Highway 3, and rolled over. He was Clifford Paul Smith, aged 20, of Hamilton.

A female passenger was taken to hospital suffering from serious head injuries. The driver suffered minor injuries.

At Foxton, four Wellington persons had a lucky escape from injury on Saturday when a light aircraft crashed just after it touched down.

The Piper Cherokee aircraft was badly damaged when it crashed into trees

after it landed about 4 p.m. A passenger, Mr Neil Renn-Ford, said that the pilot, Mr D. Maynard was making a normal approach in fine, calm conditions. “The plane suddenly lifted and flipped into the trees,” Mr Renn-Ford said.

“One wing was ripped off and the plane landed on its belly.”