Waiouru suffers crash spate

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 459, 27 October 1992, Page 4

Waiouru suffers crash spate

Waiouru Police File

BY CONSTABLE PETER Thomas

We have had a busy period in the last two weeks at Waiouru. • On Sunday 11 October an unlawfully taken van with eight teenagers aboard rolled several times at the summit of the Dessert Road. The uninjured survivors were unceremoniously removed from Waiouru following an incident at the local video parlour. • On Monday 12 October a tandem-axled trailer disintegrated on the aquaduct of the Desert Road due to a manufacturing fault. The young couple towing the trailer were uninjured, but very lucky as the trailer pulled the towing vehicle sideways as it rolled, As

some of you will know it is quite a drop off the aquaduct. • On Tuesday 20 October there were two English tourists travelling north on State Highway One just south of Waiouru, their vehicle ran off the road and ended up straddling the main trunk rail-line. At the time we were notified we noticed a south-bound passenger train travclling toward the tourists vehicle. The vehicle was unable to be removed from the rail-line and due

to its position it was not sighted by the engine driver until it was too late and the passenger train struck the tourists car. Prior to being struck by the train two men from Rotorua had assisted in removing the two ladies from their vehicle. These two men are to be commcnded for their concern and actions at the scene. • On 22 October a Peugeot car was located near the mill at Tangiwai. It had been unlawfully taken from the Taihape Golf Club the previous evening. On locating the car it was discovered that the offenders had systematically vandalized the vehicle probably beyond

repair. Any information relating to this matter would be very much appreciated and treated in confidence. There seems to be no logic behind this type of crime. • Probably the lowest point of the past two weeks occured at about 6.54pm on 22 October on State Highway One near Deacons Road, when a 'B' train truck and trailer unit lost its load of sawn timber and rolled onto an oncoming van occupied by a family group heading away for Labour Weekend. The father of this family was killed in the accident. His wife and one of three children in the van were seriously injured. The truck driver who was trapped for more than three hours was also seriously injured. We extend our apprcciation to the local ambulance, the fire service from Waiouru and Taihape, The

New Zealand Army vehicle recovery team and those local persons who assisted in clearing the scene. Without this type of help our job would prove to be far more difficult. I now announce my retirement from journalism and return you to the capable hands of Constable Chris Scalcs (the conservationist).