Easter road toll: five dead – pedestrian killed in Wellington bus accident

A pedestrian is killed after being hit by a bus in central Wellington, raising the Easter road toll to five.

All the deaths so far have occurred on the North Island.

Police were called to Taranaki St in downtown Wellington just before 10 p.m. Saturday after the pedestrian was fatally struck by a bus.

“The curbs are in place and motorists are asked to avoid the Taranaki St area between Ghuznee St and Bidwill St,” police said in a statement.

“This closure is likely to cause further disruption to the surrounding streets and we ask for your patience.”

Earlier on Saturday, a motorcycle and a car collided in Waimangu, south of Rotorua.

One person was killed and another injured in the collision on SH38 at the Okaro Rd intersection around 11 am.

On Friday, a woman died at the scene of the two-vehicle crash near Whakamaru, about 50 kilometers north of Taupō.

She was the Tauranga woman, Kellie Jane Greer, 49, the driver of one of the vehicles.

One of the vehicles caught fire after the accident at the intersection of SH30 and SH32 at noon.

On Thursday night, a man died at SH2 in Mangatawhiri, 60 kilometers south of Auckland.

The victim was Kalam Safari Watkin-Mamode, 22, who lived in Mangatawhiri.

About 90 minutes earlier Thursday, at 8 p.m., a person was killed in an accident involving a truck and a car on SH27 in the Waikato settlement of Kaihere.

Three others received moderate injuries in the accident.

Investigations into the accidents were ongoing, police said.

The five deaths mark an increase over the Easter highway toll last year when no deaths were recorded while the country was on a level 4 lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19.

In 2019, the New Zealand Easter Highway toll was four.

Waka Kotahi / NZTA Auckland Operations Manager Rua Pani said there were simple things motorists could do to stay safe on the roads.

“Check that your vehicle is safe to drive. Check your tires, windshield wipers, lights and gauges, and make sure you have a valid Physical Fitness Order before you leave,” said Pani.

“Drive based on conditions, whether it’s the weather, the road you’re on, the time of day, or the volume of traffic on the roads.

“Maintain a safe following distance from vehicles in front of you so you can stop safely and take regular breaks to stay alert.”

For Auckland residents, Waka Kotahi / NZTA advises that the southern highways into the region will be busiest from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Monday.

Those returning from the north can expect busiest times to be between 10 a.m. M. And 4:30 p.m. M. Monday.