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Blair Ensor / Things
Police at the scene of a fatal accident at the intersection of Blenheim Rd and Foster St in Christchurch on Wednesday.
A pedestrian who died after being struck by a motorcyclist was not crossing at a controlled intersection, police say.
Emergency services were called into an accident on Blenheim Rd near the intersection on Foster St at the entrance to the Tower Junction shopping center, at 6.37pm on Wednesday.
Inspector Greg Cottam, Canterbury’s road safety manager, said a 60-year-old Christchurch man died.
Police confirmed Thursday night that it was Nagaraj Mookkaiah.
He said early indications suggested Mookkaiah was crossing Blenheim Rd about 40 meters east of the controlled junction when a motorcyclist heading west toward Upper Riccarton struck him.
Investigations into the circumstances of the accident continue.
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Cottam said it was still early in the investigation and factors such as speed, alcohol and drug use would be analyzed to see if there was any “liability” on either side.
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The intersection is near the entrance to the Tower Junction shopping center. (File photo).
“[I] urge all pedestrians to use the correct controlled crossings and motorists to be vigilant of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, to prevent this type of tragedy from happening again.
“My thoughts are with the family of the deceased and the motorcycle driver.”
A witness at the scene said Things They saw the man lying in the middle of the road and immediately called the emergency services.
There have been at least 38 other crashes in and around the intersection of Foster St and Blenheim Rd since January 2000, according to crash data from the New Zealand Transportation Agency.
Of these, two resulted in serious injuries, 14 were minor, and the rest were non-injuries.
There have been at least 24 deaths on Canterbury’s roads so far this year, 16 fewer than at the same time last year. Highway deaths have also decreased nationally with 266 deaths compared to 282 in the same period last year.
