Road toll now nine

Press, 29 December 1988, Page 8

Road toll now nine

PA Wanganui The holiday road toll now stands at nine, with the death of a man after his motorcycle and a vegetable oil truck collided on State highway 1 about 3km south of Ohingaiti yesterday afternoon. The dead man, who was riding the motorcycle, was Selwyn Harford Lyne, aged 48, of Rongotea. Police said he died at the scene. The truck driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Wanganui Base Hospital. A Taihape police spokesman, Constable Craig Barnes, said the accident closed State highway 1 below the Makohine Viaduct for about five hours. The truck tipped over spilling its load of vegetable oil. The motor-cycle and truck collided

when the motor-cyclist made a U-turn. “The truck tipped, completely blocking the road,” he said. A crane later lifted the truck, and sand was spread on the spilled oil. Both vehicles were written off, Constable Barnes said. An Upper Hutt man died after being injured in a motor-cycle accident north of Pirinoa, Wairarapa, on Boxing Day. He was Julian Alexander, aged 24. He was hurt when his motor-cycle left the road and went down a 2m bank, north of Pirinoa, at 2.45 p.m. on Monday. He was taken to Masterton Hospital, but his condition worsened and he was taken by ambulance to the Rimutaka summit and flown by helicopter to Wellington Hospital. He died in hospital on Tuesday, a spokesman said.