By Finn Blackwell of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission
Police say a man who died on the Southwestern motorway on Friday morning was struck by three vehicles, none of which stopped.
A second person was killed in a separate incident (pictured above). Photo: X / NZ Transport Agency
The man died on a section of State Highway 20, near Mt Roskill, after walking onto the motorway from the northbound on-ramp at Dominion Rd around 1:30am.
He was struck by at least three vehicles, Detective Senior Sergeant Kathy Bostock said.
“None of the vehicles stopped at the time,” she said.
“Police are asking these motorists to contact us, as they are an important part of us establishing the circumstances of this tragic event.”
A scene examination was carried out in the early hours of Friday morning and road closures have since been lifted.
Police are now seeking anyone travelling on State Highway 20 between 1:30am and 2am to come forward.
“An investigation is now underway and it’s important those motorists do the right thing and come forward,” Bostock said.
Police would also like to hear from anyone who has dashcam footage.
A second person was killed in a separate incident on Friday morning, a single-vehicle crash near Ōtara.
One person died at the scene, while two others were transported to Auckland Hospital in a critical condition and two more transported to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition.
The crash happened on the road ahead of Te Irirangi Drive just after 2am.
Seven ambulances and three rapid response units were called to the crash, along with two firetrucks and two rescue appliances.
Another two passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the crash, according to a FENZ spokesperson.
Friday morning’s crashes are just the latest in what’s been a dangerous week on the Auckland roads for pedestrians.
A man was killed on Wednesday afternoon after being hit by a truck in the central suburb of Parnell.
St John responded just after 2pm and sent two ambulances and a rapid response vehicle to the scene on The Strand.
The man was taken to hospital in a critical condition but later died.
Meanwhile, a cyclist was left with life threatening injuries after crashing into a stationary vehicle on Chivalry Road in Glenfield on Thursday.
‘Enormous consequences’
AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said crashes happening in quick succession were a reminder of how dangerous the roads could be.
“One moment of things going wrong, one moment of somebody making a mistake, can have enormous consequences,” he said.
“We need to approach being out on the roads with a lot more care and focus than we often do in New Zealand sadly.”
Thomsen said drivers needed to be hyper alert and watchful on the road.
“Drivers need to be looking out for pedestrians, for cyclists, for other vehicles that are around them,” he said.
“There is huge responsibility for every driver, when we’re out on the roads, to be looking and aware of anybody that is around their vehicle.”
He said crash statistics over recent years have shown the summer months to have the highest risk on the road.
“People often think of winter of being the time that actually there’s more risk, but no, it’s summer, when we tend to see a higher number of crashes.
“Part of that is because there’s just a lot more people and traffic out on the roads at these times.”
