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A man is dead after his rental vehicle collided with another car on State Highway 2, at Te Puna.
Emergency services were called to the fatal crash near Gill Lane, Whakamarama, about 2.15pm.
Fire crews at the scene. Photos: supplied.
Bay of Plenty District Command Centre Senior Sergeant Courtney Brunt reports a man has died following the incident.
'A rental vehicle driven by a sole occupant was travelling from Auckland to Tauranga and has veered across the centreline and collided with a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.
'The driver of the rental vehicle is deceased. The two occupants of the other vehicle have been taken to Tauranga Hospital, one with serious injuries.”
Earlier report:
Diversions are in place around the scene of the collision, so motorists should expect delays if travelling in the area.
Reports from the scene say some people are trapped and emergency services are working to free them.
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Northern Fire Communications shift manager Steve Osmond says three persons were trapped, two are seriously injured and one is dead.
Steve says fire brigades from Omokoroa and Tauranga are attending.
A SunLive reader says both lanes are blocked and traffic is being diverted to Te Puna Quarry Rd.
He says traffic is backed up to Te Puna.
More information will be posted on SunLive as it comes available.
Call 0800SUNLIVE.
17 comments
traffic moving slowly
Posted on 26-12-2014 16:36 | By whatsinaname
i have just come thru there from waihi and traffic was banked up to omokoroa turn off. That was 3-30. traffic been diverted down munro road and come out te puna quarry road. traffic flowing well. a couple of petrol heads think they may be late at there destination ruined it for others but generally traffic flowing good. please be carefull on the roads. Lots of traffic out there today. got to greerton 4-30 pm
Unfortunate but.....
Posted on 26-12-2014 17:53 | By Angel74
why cant people stay on their side of the road, proving to be far too difficult for too many and at times innocent lives are lost......
Might
Posted on 27-12-2014 06:50 | By Capt_Kaveman
have anything to do with the left white line painted to far right??? i travel this road quite a bit n this wondering over the centerline happens more than im comfortable with so i think the man in the van is a waste of time
How many more
Posted on 27-12-2014 07:38 | By nickleby
So NZTA are surveying us locals to find out what the 'safety issues' are on this stretch of road. In their blurb they quote "In the last five years (2009 - 2013) there has been four fatal, 26 serious and 72 minor crashes on this stretch of State Highway 2" But in the past 12 months we must've had at least 6 fatalities on this stretch of road!!! I don't know why the last 12 months have been more dangerous, but it's time that serious money got spent trying to make this road safer for all of us.
Idiot drivers
Posted on 27-12-2014 08:48 | By philiphallen
Its not the road at fault, there is nothing wrong with it. Its the bloody stupid drivers that use it that's the problem. I even saw a woman, no IDIOT, driving that stretch of road not long before yesterdays crash with an IPAD in one hand and a drink in the other, and I presume steering with her knees!!!!! Also counted at least 15+ driver using cell phones between Tauranga and Katikati Its about bloody time drivers took driving more seriously and not drive about in their own little selfish world. Learn how to drive a vehicle properly and professionally and not some hand me down advise from past generations who never learned to drive in the first place. Inanimate objects can't and don't cause accidents. Inattention, inability, and stupidity do.
Well said , nickleby
Posted on 27-12-2014 09:18 | By RML
This is a B class road .High volumes of traffic are trying to use it.With sad results. We need to do what the rail did many years ago. That is build a Kaimai Road tunnel next to the rail one.It's the only way to go for the heavy traffic to Auckland.
Road carnage
Posted on 27-12-2014 09:30 | By tia
Couldn't agree more with philiphallen. Roads don't cause crashes - drivers do. It's about time the penalty for inattention was increased. Cellphone use is one of the greatest distractions. Increase the penalty and it is not only private drivers who flaunt the law, Truck drivers and courier drivers are some of the worst.
philliphallen
Posted on 27-12-2014 10:20 | By whatsinaname
I totally agree.I travelled to waihi beach yesterday and was horrified by the driving. 90km hour and people still trying to pass on blind corners, yellow passing lanes. as you say on phones etc. driving a car takes all your attention, not only yours but trying to figure out what the other person coming towards you is going to do. There is NOTHNG wrong with that road.. Your not playing play station when you drive and if you go off the edge or cross the centre line you can rewind or start again . vehicles are lethan weapons and need all the concentration to keep them under control. The only excuse for an accident such as this is a sudden medical condition or mechanical fault with the car.NO other excuses. Thoughts with the family of the elderly couple that were caught up in this accident
Sorry but...
Posted on 27-12-2014 10:26 | By The Vicar
I agree with philliphallen. People need to take driving a vehicle more seriously. Put the phones down and pay attention. Exercise some patients and go the same speed as the rest of the line of traffic.
phillipallen
Posted on 27-12-2014 10:58 | By TheCameltoeKid
Pretty harsh comments given the fact that you know nothing at all about a possible cause. Was it a medical event? And RML, Yep a tunnel through the Kaimais is going to fix the problem SH2 has from TePuna to Katikati. Yeah right! Take your pills people and go and lie down!
Sargents Drive
Posted on 27-12-2014 11:46 | By Todd
Sargents Drive is a death trap. Turning into Sargents Drive from Tauranga is a death trap. Please people do something before someone dies. Sargents Drive is a death trap.There is no legal or safe way to enter this road between katikati and tauranga just before morton road near apata.
TheCameltoeKid
Posted on 27-12-2014 14:58 | By philiphallen
I was not commenting on the particular accident that happened yesterday, but my observations of many other drivers that morning and early afternoon on my trip to Bowentown and back to Bethlehem. I travelled SH2 between Bethlehem and Katikati for twelve months twice daily for work and I belive two or three people where killed in that time and all down to human error.
@TheCamelotoeKid....
Posted on 27-12-2014 18:19 | By Jimmy Ehu
what people are not allowed an opinion anymore?.
Yes the road is fine but...
Posted on 27-12-2014 19:17 | By nickleby
It quite obviously doesn't suit the users. It's plain to me that idiots are allowed to continue their idiot behaviour on the road and put all of us at risk. If this road was better designed to the users, and the sheer number of them, the fatalities would reduce.
@philliphallen
Posted on 28-12-2014 10:10 | By Bop man
By reading your comment it sounds to me that you are one of the people who are not concentrating on the road, when I drive I am not able to count the people using cell phones to busy watching where I'm going..maybe you should try this before you become a statistic.
@ Bop man
Posted on 28-12-2014 17:19 | By BennyBenson
pull your head in. Defensive driving courses will teach you to be aware of the drivers and things happening around you rather than just being fixated on the tarseal in front of your car. A glance is more than enough to see someone with their iphone in front of their face or phone up to their ear, I too see it happening all the time.
Idiot road users
Posted on 13-01-2015 19:34 | By swt3
I agree with most of the above comments. Drivers need to be re-educated in how to be a 'defensive' driver, & be aware of their surroundings. Stop using cell phones, & concentrate on what they are doing. Most of the roads we all use, have 'nothing' wrong with them, maybe a pothole or two. By straightening them out, drivers won't know how to corner. Drivers need to stay focused. Try riding a motorbike. This makes you a very defensive driver. I can see several cars ahead what the driver is doing or not doing before they do it. focus, stop txting, concentrate & be more aware. Also, if you can't do the 100kph speed limit, then maybe you shouldn't be driving. Stop holding up other drivers, which causes impatience.
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