Easter road toll rises to six after a motorist dies in Ōtaki

By RNZ

The Easter road toll has increased to six after a fatal accident in Ōtaki on the Kāpiti coast.

Emergency services were called after a car struck a power pole on Tasman Rd just after 8:30 pm yesterday.

The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later died of his injuries.

The police are investigating and the Serious Accidents Unit has been informed.

A pedestrian also died last night after a bus accident on Taranaki St in central Wellington.

Police were alerted to the incident just before 10 p.m.

The bus driver was not injured.

A motorcycle and a car collided on State Highway 38 in Waimangu in the Bay of Plenty around 11 a.m. yesterday, killing one person and injuring another.

Also in the Bay of Plenty, a two-vehicle accident in Whakamaru around noon on Good Friday claimed the life of the driver and set a vehicle on fire.

In Waikato, one person was killed and three others moderately injured when a truck and car collided in Kaihere around 8 p.m. Thursday night.

An hour and a half later, a person was killed in an accident on State Highway 2 in Mangatāwhiri, north of Hamilton.

The official Easter holiday period began at 4 pm on Thursday and ends at 6 am on Tuesday.

There were no deaths on the roads during the Easter period last year.

– RNZ