Warkworth Playground Car Accident: ‘It’s a miracle no one else died’

Stunned mothers and their little ones on a riverside playground cringed in fear when a car passed over their heads during a spectacular fatal accident in Warkworth yesterday.

Locals marvel that no one else was accidentally killed or injured when the runaway vehicle hurtled through an area that just minutes earlier was packed with people.

At least two families were forced to take evasive measures when the high-speed car soared through the air, flew over a public park before crashing into a bench and fence, and plunging into the Mahurangi River.

Despite heroic efforts, bystanders who jumped into the water were unable to save the driver.

A Warkworth neighbor, whom the Herald agreed not to name, said those on the playground directly under the car’s path were shocked and described it as a surreal experience.

“It was like a movie set,” said the man.

“Seeing a car in the air over a playground was something you see in a stunt scene.

“They couldn’t believe it.”

He said that before the car was thrown over the playing area, it had been gaining speed as it headed towards the river in a line of devastation.

“The car went down the hill at high speed over the roundabout in the air, bounced, passed the public toilets in a straight line, went through the parking lot, missed a tree by 50 cm, over the top of the playground and two families, on a chair at the bottom and through the fence and into the river.

“The girl I know who was sitting on the playground, was shocked and scared with her daughter. They practically fell to the ground. Her mother ran and jumped into the water. She was the first on the scene, but no matter how much. He tried, he couldn’t open the door. “

Hawkings said the place was very popular with walkers and parents alike.

“It’s just amazing that no one else was hurt. It was pure luck that no one else was walking. Usually that place is full of people, and it was, but they were all out of the way at the right time.”

A woman who was with her young family preparing to eat on the riverbank said it is nothing less than a miraculous carnage on a much larger scale that did not unfold last night.

“We were literally seconds away from a more expansive tragedy. With the number of people that were in the path of the car and they all miraculously moved to the side within seconds of the car arriving it was truly a miracle,” he said.

“The guys and I had just turned the upper right corner of the park when I heard what sounded like a car accident and a thought came to mind: ‘Oh no, someone slammed into our parked car’ and I turned around to see a car. It hurtled through the small parking lot. Then we all saw it fly over the playground and turn sideways as it flew and hit the water. It sank really fast. “

The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she went to see how her partner was doing, hoping not to find him injured in the parking lot.

“He told me he saw the car come like a bat from hell flying over the little roundabout, but he thought the driver would brake or hit some of the cars parked in the parking lot. But he quickly realized that the car was not stopped. and he was heading straight for the playground. He was about six feet from the car when he sped past it. “

She said that just moments before she had called her youngest son who wanted to go play on the playground, running towards an open door while others exited.

“It was very scary for us especially, because we kept thinking that if we were half a minute late, the result for us would have been catastrophic. It was less than a minute that we were all lucky enough to be in safe positions during the auto pass.”

The woman praised the three passersby who risked their own lives jumping into the river to try to save the driver’s life.

The driver of the car, its sole occupant, was understood to be a local resident.

Police have yet to release the name of the driver.

Hawkings said the playground and stretch of the riverside walkway remained cordoned off today.

Debris from the accident still covered the playground, including parts of the crashed car.

Police have not yet released the name of the man involved in the accident, confirming yesterday that one person had died.

The Serious Accident Unit was investigating the cause of the accident.