11 people die on roads

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 9

11 people die on roads

PA Wellington Eleven people died on New Zealand roads at the week-end.

Ministry of Transport headquarters in Wellington said the high number “had them worried.” The Assistant Chief Superintendant Ray Whatmough said the number was higher than average but there were no clear trends.

However, he said intoxication was a factor in at least half of the weekend’s fatalities.

“You begin to sound like a cracked record, but there are three recurring factors in fatalities: booze, speed in the wrong places and lack of attention,” he said.

“And one of the people who died this week-end was not wearing a seatbelt.”

He said the weather had been fine so that could not be blamed for the fatalities.

They were spread throughout the country.

Two men who died on Christchurch roads are included in the week-end toll of 11. A Whangarei youth was killed when his car slammed into a power pole on the shores of Whangarei Harbour early on Sunday. He was Winara Alexanfler Scott, aged 18. Mr Scott, who died at the scene, was the sole occupant of the car which left the harbourside road and hit the pole at Waikaraka, 12km from Whangarei, shortly after midnight.

The Fire Service had to cut his body from the car.

A man was killed in a car accident on Vinegar Hill, near Hunterville, on Friday evening. He was Suliveta Kurene, aged 29, a pastor from Auckland.

Mr Kurene was one of four occupants of a southbound car which careered over a bank on the hill about 8 p.m. Two other occupants received minor scratches and another was taken to Wanganui Base Hospital for treatment and observation. The accident was attended by the Hunterville Volunteer Fire Brigade. A Queenstown girl, aged 15, died yesterday as a result of injuries received in a two-car collision just out of Invercargill on Friday evening. She was Jane-Maree Davenport, a student. She had been in the Southland Hospital intensive care unit since the accident happened at 9.15 p.m. on Friday. Miss Davenport was a back-seat passenger in a car which collided with another car and then rolled on its roof, Sergeant Lindsay Dow, of the Invercargill police, said. The other three passengers in the car, including Miss Davenport’s brother, Chris, suffered cuts and shock.

A man aged 29, died when the utility he was driving hit a bank in Rag-

lan on Saturday morning. He was

Peter Duncan Roach, of Raglan.

At 11.20 p.m. on Saturday night a man, aged 21, who was lying on State highway 26 between Hamilton and Te Aroha was struck by a car and killed. He was Shaun Percy Morley. The rider of a motorcycle died when his machine hit a power pole after taking a corner on State highway 26, south of Thames, the Hamilton police said. He was Harry Leach, aged 23, a quarry worker of Paeroa. A pillion passenger, who has not been named, received internal injuries in the incident which occurred on Friday at 10.30 p.m. A female rider, Motoyo Horiuchi, aged 27, of Auckland, was killed when she lost control of the motor-cycle she was riding on the Auckland Harbour Bridge at 12.30 p.m. on Saturday. In Hastings a man, aged 55, died when the car he was driving hit a power pole at 5.55 p.m. on Saturday. The Ministry of Transport was investigating the incident as the man was believed to have died of a heart attack, the Hastings police said. And a woman, aged 44, died when a car went over a bank at Taumarunui at 8 a.m. on Saturday, the - Ministry said. Neither was named.