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Brit dies and three others are seriously injured after car slams into four-seater quad cycle the two UK couples had rented in New Zealand
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A Brit has died and three are seriously injured following a horror quad bike crash in New Zealand.
Two British couples are understood to have been riding on a rented four-seater pedal powered quad bike along Puruatanga Road in Martinborough, on the country’s North Island, on Thursday morning when it was rammed by a car from behind.
Wellington district road policing manager Inspector Brad Allen said in a statement: ‘The deceased was critically injured but died at the scene before they could be airlifted to hospital.
‘Three other people, also on the bike, suffered serious injuries.
‘The serious crash unit are conducting a scene examination and inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.’
He added officers’ ‘thoughts, aroha (the Maori word for love) and condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the deceased’.
Two of the tourists were reportedly flown to Wellington Hospital following the crash.
A Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: ‘Our team in New Zealand have provided advice on bereavement abroad after one British person died and three others were seriously injured in Martinborough.
‘Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.’
Two couples are understood to have been riding on a rented four-seater pedal powered quad bike along Puruatanga Road in Martinborough Thursday morning when it was rammed by a car from behind
One Brit was killed in the horror crash, while three others were left seriously injured
Image shows a street view of Puruatanga Road, where the tragic accident happened
Local police were working with the British High Commission in Wellington.
The group had hired the vehicle from Indi Bikes Martinborough, which rents out pedal powered quad bikes, ranging from single-seaters to six-seaters.
Its owner Wayde Mines told local newspaper Otago Daily Times he was ‘absolutely devastated’.
‘I’m worried for the people involved. It’s a beautiful day in Martinborough. The bikes are easily seen. It’s unbelievable it’s happened’, he added.
‘It’s a tragedy. It’s terrible. I’ve been hiring bikes for 10 years and nothing like this has ever happened before. Not even scuffs and bumps.’
Martinborough is a town in the Wellington region of New Zealand, popular for its premium wineries
The pedal powered quad bike had been hired by the group
Shayne Hammond, general manager of Poppies Winery, which is located near the crash site, said the situation was ‘horrifically sad’, telling broadcaster Radio New Zealand: ‘You can’t express the sadness. Everyone’s hurting and a couple of the guys are definitely struggling.’
Martinborough is a town in the South Wairarapa District in the Wellington region of New Zealand, popular among tourists for its premium wineries.
The deadly crash involving a British tourist comes weeks after backpacker Joseph Snode, 26, from Buckinghamshire in England, was killed in a horror road collision in New Zealand.
The British backpacker was travelling by road on the Otira Highway in Jacksons on the South Island on January 28 when the vehicle he was in crashed.
His devastated family has since revealed that Joseph had accepted a lift to Christchurch with three other people, who all sustained minor injuries in the crash.
Mr Snode’s mother Elaine said no words could express the ‘pain and despair’ felt by his parents, sister, girlfriend and friends from all over the world.
‘Joseph had so many plans for his future and he was literally living his dream life before it was taken from him,’ she wrote on GoFundMe.
‘He was so happy, meeting new friends and taking photos of his travels and the people he’d met. He even met his soulmate and she joined him on his travels.’
Ms Snode described her son as ‘one in a billion’.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.
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