Hit and run: Residents voice safety fears

A collision happened on Friday between a car and an electric scooter on the intersection of Cook Street and Faulkner Street. Photo: Supplied.

Warning: Some people may find the video distressing to watch.

Residents of a street in Gate Pa are concerned that nothing is being done to make a street corner safer, following two hit and runs within a few months.

Teisha Paratene says on Friday morning, their cameras recorded a crash at 7.33am outside their house on the corner of Cook Street and Faulkner Street.

In the footage, a car is seen coming up Faulkner Street and failing to stop as it turns left into Cook Street ploughing straight into two people riding an electric scooter.

After falling across the bonnet, the two riders are thrown to the road, while the car travels on along Cook Street.

One of the riders who is wearing a helmet is seen initially standing on the road before falling onto the grass kerb. The other rider appears uninjured.

Teisha says she was in her bedroom when the accident happened.

'It was captured by our CTV camera facing the intersection,” says Teisha.

'The two victims were on an electric scooter, a mother and daughter. The mother on the front was wearing a helmet and taking her daughter on the back to college.

'The daughter was on the back and wasn't wearing a helmet. The mother took the brunt of the accident.”

Teisha says police also attended the scene.

'Police arrived and my husband came back in to check the camera footage, and took it back outside to police. We showed the footage to the police officer who attended. She gave me an email link that I sent the footage to.”

Police say they received a report of a crash on Faulkner Street at 7.38am involving a vehicle and an electric scooter, and say the driver of the vehicle failed to stop.

'The police officer, she didn't say anything at the time to me, but the next day, Saturday morning, police were driving around the area. We think maybe they were looking for the car or the person.

'I have a network of friends who all have CCTV cameras here and one rang me on Sunday morning to say police were in his street, and he showed them the car and where the driver lives.”

Teisha says the network of friends checked their collective CCTV footage and could see the driver getting in his car on Friday morning while talking on a mobile phone, starting the car and driving off quickly.

Teisha says her husband met two witnesses who had been out walking and saw the incident.

'They were terrified. When my husband went out to ask police to wait while he checked cameras, they said they saw the whole thing.”

Teisha says this is the second time there has been a hit and run at the same intersection within the last few months. She says the corner isn't safe.

'I've asked at council meetings for a raised pedestrian for people coming in and out. We've had nothing. We've been asking for five years. I'm part of the Gate Pa Advisory Committee that meets with council, police and other organisations to deal with Gate Pa matters so that's the forum I usually take it too.”

SunLive has approached Tauranga City Council for comment and will provide a update when we can.

On Monday morning, SunLive asked police for any further information on the incident.

'There is no further update,” says a police spokesperson.

1 comment

the end

Posted on 03-04-2023 15:44 | By terry hall

that will be the end of it, they are too busy giving out speeding tickets and other money making projects.


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.