6 days ago
Crashes prompt warning about icy roads
Black ice saw a fourwheel-drive slide off the road in the Rakaia Gorge. PHOTO: NZ POLICE
A car plummeted off a road in the steep Rakaia Gorge on Sunday morning after sliding on ice.
Three men inside were out by the time firefighters arrived; two in a minor condition were treated at the scene.
Emergency services temporarily closed the road, Inland Scenic Route 72, where the crash occurred, on the north side of the gorge bridges.
Methven Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Brent Anderson said the four-wheel drive slid on ice before plummeting backwards down a short drop at the lower part of the road.
The vehicle had been travelling north, the occupants bound for Darfield.
The crash was a reminder to drivers to be aware of variable conditions and invisible black ice.
On Thursday morning, police issued a statement urging drivers to take extra care on the roads across the region this morning due to the icy conditions.
"A number of crashes have already been reported, noting the conditions as a factor," a police spokesperson said.
"Fortunately no one has been seriously injured.
"Please – slow down, watch your following distance, and use your headlights.
"We want everyone to get where they're going safely this morning."
Anderson said sometimes frost may not be on roads at the start of the day due to warmer nor-west conditions, but then freeze later in the day if the breeze dies down.
"Just remember that it's that time of year that the grading trucks have not necessarily been through," he said.
The Rakaia Gorge crash was the first due to ice this year that the brigade had attended.
A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said two patients in a minor condition were assessed and treated at the scene.
Emergency services at the scene of the crash in Ravensbourne this morning. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
Further south, another frosty morning has seen crashes reported in Dunedin.
A Toyota Hilux tumbled down a steep bank just before 5.30am today after hitting black ice on Ravensbourne Rd.
An Otago Daily Times photographer said the vehicle landed beside the Ravensdown fertiliser works.
The driver was uninjured.
Contractors have been called to repair the fence.
