Tourist couple die in collision
A married couple from the United States died and five other persons were
injured, at least two seriously, in a head-on collision on State highway 1 about 3km south of Amberley yesterday.
A woman is believed to have died at the scene and a man died later in Christchurch Hospital. The couple were aged in their 60s, but their names were not available late last evening. The accident happened about 4.40 p.m. at a bend. A mini-van, believed to be carrying an American tour party of six, and a car, which had one occupant, collided. The driver of the car was a North Canterbury man whose name and condition were not available last evening. Four ambulances, two from Christchurch and two from Rangiora, took
the injured to Christchurch Hospital. The accident disrupted traffic on State highway 1 for more than an hour. Traffic banked up as the road was kept to one lane until about 6 p.m. The Rangiora rescue unit’s "jaws of life” were used to free the injured from both vehicles.
One onlooker said later, “The car was badly mangled and the van was severely damaged as well.”
The number of injured put pressure on facilities at Christchurch Hospital last evening. Staff were so busy that the patients’ names and conditions could not be obtained late last evening. According to a St John Ambulance spokesman, three of the injured are men and two are women. One was taken to Princess
Margaret Hospital with a leg injury and the others are believed to have been admitted to Christchurch Hospital. The spokesman said that when ambulances arrived at the scene one person was dead, five were regarded as seriously injured, and one had a minor injury. It was not clear late last evening whether the Americans were on an organised tour. Members of the group were said by a spokesman for the Christchurch police to be aged in their 60s.
The spokesman said that the van was travelling south and the car going north at the time of the accident.
The couple who died were believed to have been in the front seats of the van. The man was driving.
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Bibliographic details
Press, 13 May 1986, Page 1
Word Count
365Tourist couple die in collision Press, 13 May 1986, Page 1
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