Buller accident a result of ‘communications breakdown’

Press, 23 February 1985, Page 2

Buller accident a result of ‘communications breakdown’

PA Wellington The Buller Gorge road works blast which almost killed a German family on holiday in the South Island last week-end was the result of a breakdown in communications between workers on the site, said a Labour Department spokesman, Mr Brian Amey, yesterday. Mr Amey, the department’s chief construction safety engineer, has been briefed on the accident by Nelson office investigators and expects a full report next week. He said there was an obvious breakdown in communications between the workers setting the explosives charges and the employees at the road blocks. Mr Amey said he would need the full report before deciding who was responsible for the accident. Those responsible would be charged, he said. A German tourist, Ruedejer von LutZau, aged 33, and his wife and child

narrowly escaped death, when their rental car was caught in the blast and crushed by big rocks in the lower Buller Gorge a week ago. The family are still in Buller Hospital recovering from the accident which left Mrs Gaby von LutZau, aged 30, with a deflated lung, broken collar bone, broken wrist, and extensive bruising. Her condition was reported as improving yesterday and the couple’s son was reported to be satisfac-

tory. Mr von LutZau was a boarder parent at the hospital, staying with his son, who did not speak or understand English, a hospital spokesman said. The boy and his father would be leaving the hospital soon but would have to wait some time before Mrs von LutZau was able to be discharged and travel. The von LutZau family arrived in Auckland from Frankfurt two weeks ago to begin a sight-seeing holiday in New Zealand until midMarch.