Riders down - RIP: South Island, 2 December 07

[sunhuntin]

Emergency services are currently at the scene of a mulitipule fatal crash between a camper van and a number of motorcycles on State Highway 79 approximately halfway between Geraldine and Fairlie.Early indications from the scence are that there have been 2 fatilities and 2 other persons are injured.Road diversions are being put in place.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=22134781&threadid=22134781

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=22134807&threadid=22134807

[yungatart]

My heart sinks!
Will it never end?
What a waste...

RIP

[Swoop]

Not again.

It is that time of year.

[crashe]

email issued by police comms


NZ Police CommCens Alert 12:05 2-12-2007 Canterbury

Location of incident: SH 79 Geraldine-Fairly Highway

Incident Type: Fatal Crash

Emergency services are currently at the scene of a mulitipule fatal crash between a camper van and a number of motorcycles on State Highway 79 approximately halfway between Geraldine and Fairlie.
Early indications from the scence are that there have been 2 fatilities and 2 other persons are injured.
Road diversions are being put in place.
No further information available at this early stage. I will update when further details available.

Issued By: Inspector Stuart Leighton

[nigelp]

RIP

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4306009a10.html

[bell]

RIP. My thoughts are with those involved.

[deanohit]

FFS, be careful out there people!
RIP to the victims.

[Bruiser]

Uh oh!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but this just came in from the Police:



NZ Police CommCens Alert 12:05 2-12-2007 Canterbury
Location of incident: SH 79 Geraldine-Fairly Highway
Incident Type: Fatal Crash

Emergency services are currently at the scene of a mulitipule fatal crash between a camper van and a number of motorcycles on State Highway 79 approximately halfway between Geraldine and Fairlie.
Early indications from the scence are that there have been 2 fatilities and 2 other persons are injured.
Road diversions are being put in place.
No further information available at this early stage. I will update when further details available.
Issued By: Inspector Stuart Leighton

[janno]

What a tragedy on such a beautiful day. I wonder if it will be yet another case of tourists forgetting which side of the road they should be on?

Condolences to all concerned, such horrible news.

[mooks]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4306009a10.html

just in on the wire ........ I hope its not as bad as it sounds. :(

[MyGSXF]

:shit: oh crap.. there are a number of the ChCh kb crew & my Plains crew heading back from the Duntroon Rally today........ god I hope it's none of ours... :no:

[Paul in NZ]

Oh bugger - That looks grim stuff, I hope the detailed reports don't verify this...

[car]

Will it never end?

Not until motorcycles are banned or we otherwise run out of motorcyclists.

[sunhuntin]

why dont we just ban anything with more than 3 wheels?

[buoy]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4306009a10.html

...not good

Here's the stuff version:

"Three motorcyclists, two males and a female, are dead after a crash between a campervan and a group of motorcycles on a straight section of State Highway 79 about 10km from Fairlie in South Canterbury.

Details of the crash early this afternoon are still sketchy but weather does not appear to have been a factor.

A fourth person, a female, has been flown to Christchurch with critical injuries.

The occupants of the campervan were not injured and are believed to be European tourists.

Police spokesman Inspector Stuart Leighton said roadblocks had been put in place around the crash site."

[chanceyy]

Condolences to the family & friends .. definately not what we wanted to hear this weekend for sure

ride safe out there everyone its a minefield for sure

[Mikkel]

These are grim tidings indeed. Apparently one of the injured has passed on as well. 3 dead - 1 has been flown to Chch.

RIP.

[crashe]

These are grim tidings indeed. Apparently one of the injured has passed on as well. 3 dead - 1 has been flown to Chch.

RIP.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4306009a10.html


Three dead in multiple fatal crash
The Press | Sunday, 02 December 2007

LATEST: Three motorcyclists, two males and a female, are dead after a crash between a campervan and a group of motorcycles on a straight section of State Highway 79 about 10km from Fairlie in South Canterbury.

Details of the crash early this afternoon are still sketchy but weather does not appear to have been a factor.

A fourth person, a female, has been flown to Christchurch with critical injuries.

The occupants of the campervan were not injured and are believed to be European tourists.

Police spokesman Inspector Stuart Leighton said roadblocks had been put in place around the crash site.


Rest in peace to the three riders who passed away today.

[Joni]

2 December 2006....
Now 2 December 2007
:(

[crashe]

2 December 2006....
Now 2 December 2007
:(

Yep today is the first anniversary of loosing LooseBruce (Bruce) and DSS3 (Daryl).

Tomorrow is UncleB's (Bruce) first anniversary of his passing away as well.

[oldrider]

R.I.P to those lost and condolences to family and friends. John.

[janno]

Some riding mates of mine call it "killing season".

Not nice, but unfortunately it seems to be true. They said it's been like this for at least the past thirty years.

[sunhuntin]

:no:

ride in peace, those that have passed. ride safe, everyone.

[Daffyd]

:shit: oh crap.. there are a number of the ChCh kb crew & my Plains crew heading back from the Duntroon Rally today........ god I hope it's none of ours... :no:

The Chatto Creek 1000 mile riders were up that way, too.

[Scorpygirl]

This is awful news to hear. Once again I come home from a Ulysses Rally, after having a great time, to much sadness. :no: RIP. Condolences to family and friends.

[NighthawkNZ]

Ghost Bullet, and Mr Sensible were the only seen ChCh Kbers at the Duntroon Long Drop Rally they headed away around 9:00, 9:30... hopefully not them, Xaria, Free2b, and Conner all back safe to Dunedin

However condolences go out to friends and family

[Bytor]

RIP.......

According the The Harold, 2 bikers are in hospital in Wellington after being taken out by a u-turning Police car!!

My bike's staying in the garage till the Xmas nutters are off the road.

[Nasty]

This is the worst news ... RIP bikers ,... thoughts are with family and friends dealing with the aftermath ...

[NighthawkNZ]

According the The Harold, 2 bikers are in hospital in Wellington after being taken out by a u-turning Police car!!


http://nz.news.yahoo.com/071202/2/2vsn.html

[sunhuntin]

keep checking those trademe links guys... poster there says they know they riders involved and that only one has died

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=22134807&p=2&c=1 [post 77]

[sels1]

:shit: oh crap.. there are a number of the ChCh kb crew & my Plains crew heading back from the Duntroon Rally today........ god I hope it's none of ours... :no:

That was my first thought too...hope not

RIP to those who passed over

[Lteejay]

Came home from a nice run to Coromandel Town, to hear this. Sad news - thoughts to family and friends.

[Swampdonkey]

This news is awful.....condolances to all family involved.
out and about today in the far north,noticeable increase of backpackers vans and campervans,alot of rubber necking going on instead of watching the road......Yikes!!
beware ,please

[crashe]

Latest update from police comms:


NZ Police CommCens Alert 17:10 2-12-2007 Canterbury

Location of incident: SH 79 between Fairlie and Geraldine

Incident Type: Fatal Crash

Situation report:
Three people have died as a result of the crash on State Highway 79 between Fairlie and Geraldine.
Two of the deceased are United Kingdom Citizens, who had been living at Plesant Point for the past six months.
One young girl has been taken to Christchurch Hospital, she is in a serious condition.
The Police Serious crash unit are in attendance.
State Highway 79 will remain closed for about another two hours.
Issued By: Inspector Alan Weston

[dipshit]

why dont we just ban anything with more than 3 wheels?

Because about half of motorcycle accidents are caused by the motorcyclist. We are not better or car drivers are no worse than us.

[miSTa]

:shit: oh crap.. there are a number of the ChCh kb crew & my Plains crew heading back from the Duntroon Rally today........ god I hope it's none of ours... :no:


Ghost Bullet, and Mr Sensible were the only seen ChCh Kbers at the Duntroon Long Drop Rally they headed away around 9:00, 9:30... hopefully not them, Xaria, Free2b, and Conner all back safe to Dunedin

However condolences go out to friends and family

GB and I are all sweet. I would say it happened about 15-30 minutes after we through there. Rood and weather were good. Heard a guy on the phone at Geraldine talking on the phone about the Fairlie - Geraldine road being closed. It all makes sense now. A bit disturbing it was so close to us.

Thanks for the text Dale, pleased you're thing of us. :niceone:

[MyGSXF]

GB and I are all sweet. I would say it happened about 15-30 minutes after we through there

Good to hear you are ok.. :Punk: I rang GB's cell straight away & he phoned me back bout 15 minutes ago.. such a relief to hear his voice!!! :banana: also none of my Plains crew.. thank god!!!!!! :niceone:

Thoughts go out to the family & friends of those passed!!!! :bye:

[nudemetalz]

So so so sad :(

R.I.P. ride free, fellow motorcyclists.

[gijoe1313]

:no: Just saw the item on 3 news .... not good :no:

[Hitcher]

It's the Biker Death Season. Please be careful out there people, particularly on group rides.

[JMemonic]

sad news my thoughts go out to the family and friends lost and I hope those injured recover ok

[Boob Johnson]

why dont we just ban anything with more than 3 wheels?
Sunhuntin for president :niceone:


Man dunno bout you lot but im sick to death of reading about all these fatalities, really saddens me. Had such a lovely day in which to ride im sitting here bathing in the after glow of a fantastic ride, bacon & eggs washed down with a few cold beers & the thought of people not making it home is bloody terrible :(


Enjoy every moment you have with loved ones folks, you never know when your number is up.

[APPLE]

I just saw that on the box,cop locked on to the 1st bike cumin around a bend,and did a u turn on a blind corner and the bikes came round,i would say at pace,and boom,i see that one of the bikes was a ducati......RATSGUTS:weep:Rip

[fireball]

this is sad to hear and the worst part is there will be more before the summer season is up...:bash:
ride safe guys treat every cager as a cracked up killer....

[scumdog]

Don't get gob-smacked very often but the last two days motorbike-crash news just about did it.

Bloodybloodybloody!

What the hell is happening to this world??

[Boob Johnson]

Don't get gob-smacked very often but the last two days motorbike-crash news just about did it.

Bloodybloodybloody!

What the hell is happening to this world??
And the worst part is one involves the police, we just don't need any of that, none at all. Weather he was in the wrong or the right we just don't need negative press on the police, it serves no one.

[janno]

And the worst part is one involves the police, we just don't need any of that, none at all. Weather he was in the wrong or the right we just don't need negative press on the police, it serves no one.

+1 on that one. Probably one of those things where a split second either way and everyone would have been fine . . .

[Boob Johnson]

+1 on that one. Probably one of those things where a split second either way and everyone would have been fine . . .
Yeah most likely.


Has been confirmed as European tourists also. The holiday from hell.

[MSTRS]

Yeah most likely....

...target fixation?

[Jantar]

The Chatto Creek 1000 mile riders were up that way, too.
At the time of the accident the Chatto Creek prize giving was in full swing. So no 1000 miler riders involved.

[kevfromcoro]

Came home from a nice run to Coromandel Town, to hear this. Sad news - thoughts to family and friends.

Did you see that guy on a bike ...run a Red on the kopu bridge
Big line of traffic backed up,, and round the corner comes a bike..
Sounded like a big single.
Straight around the traffic...and onto the bridge..
Red light and all.
Its the silly season allright..
Condolinces to the bikers who passed away.....
KEV

[cowboy]

:no::no: RIP

[Boob Johnson]

...target fixation?
A question or a statement?

[MSTRS]

Oh definitely a bit of both. Possibly on the part of all involved.

[miSTa]

To everyone who has sent me a text/PM expressing their concern at mine and Ghost Bullets travels through Fairlie at the same time as this tragic event - thanks heaps. Your thoughts are much appreciated. :apint:

[Boob Johnson]

Oh definitely a bit of both. Possibly on the part of all involved.
Certainly a possibility although the bike wasn't in view at the time the cop slowed to make his turn, possible high speed from the bike? I can certainly understand from the cops point of view, locks in a speeding vehicle, clear to turn & whack!!!



Time may tell what actually happened.

[yungatart]

Certainly a possibility although the bike wasn't in view at the time the cop slowed to make his turn, possible high speed from the bike? Time may tell.

Didn't look like the best place to be making a U-turn, IMHO.

[jtzzr]

Always so sad to hear...R.I.P Bikers

[Boob Johnson]

Didn't look like the best place to be making a U-turn, IMHO.
From the shots I saw I would tend to agree, but not enough info to make that call 100%

[Crasherfromwayback]

Bad buzz. R.I.P to the lost ones of course, but it's the loved ones left behind that you've always gotta feel for more.

[dangerous]

And the worst part is one involves the police, we just don't need any of that, none at all. Weather he was in the wrong or the right we just don't need negative press on the police, it serves no one.

Ohh crap... they need a farking bolicking just like me or you would.
You saw the same piece of new on 3 I did by the sounds of it.
If I or you were to do a u turn where that cop did the police would have our balls for bookings... I wonder if this cop will end up in the shit? all he wanted was to add to his quota and take chase... no farking brains were involved in his case :mad:

[yungatart]

Ohh crap... they need a farking bolicking just like me or you would.
You saw the same piece of new on 3 I did by the sounds of it.
If I or you were to do a u turn where that cop did the police would have our balls for bookings... I wonder if this cop will end up in the shit? all he wanted was to add to his quota and take chase... no farking brains were involved in his case :mad:

It is equally possible, given that some riders treat roads as their own personal race track, that the riders were speeding.
Tis all speculation and assumption until the facts are in.....not that that bothers some folk..

[homer]

from what i saw on the tv and its only my opinion i could be wrong ....
looked like the camper drifter off the road to the left and then obviously looks like tryed to get back on to the road ,lost control and then rolled on its side slid across the wrong side and came to rest .....maybe the bikes couldnt stop in time ...

[98tls]

And the worst part is one involves the police, we just don't need any of that, none at all. Weather he was in the wrong or the right we just don't need negative press on the police, it serves no one. Depends how you see it Boob,for me anyway the worst part is theres dead motorcyclists,whatever the occupation of any involved that survived i bet there not feeling to good at the moment.RIP to the motorcyclists and at the same time i spare a thought for all involved right or wrong as they have bad times ahead.

[scumdog]

I ain't commenting too much.

I don't know all the facts, public or otherwise.

But I'm keen to find out -even if the cop was totally responsible for the whole fiasco.

[sunhuntin]

just saw the tv3 news update... the medals stolen from waiouru were first, then a fire in auckland and then bloody beckham kicking a ball was last. how is he more important than road deaths?

[dangerous]

just saw the tv3 news update... the medals stolen from waiouru were first, then a fire in auckland and then bloody beckham kicking a ball was last. how is he more important than road deaths?

yeah I know and 20 cops on the job and its consided high proity... go figger bloody medals aye :oi-grr:

[Crasherfromwayback]

I ain't commenting too much.

I don't know all the facts, public or otherwise.

But I'm keen to find out -even if the cop was totally responsible for the whole fiasco.

Cops are only human too. We all make mistakes...it's just that some people pay a much higer price when they make them. It's a crying shame that someone pays with their life or is seriously injured. But it's not as if anyone (cop or not) would want such a result. Some pissed up tossbag is a different story!

[NUTBAR]

...target fixation?

too keen to fill his book.!

[916Senna]

gotta say i was gutted at the lack of empathy or coverage of the story by TV 3 it was all of about 10 seconds....the bloody empty building fire story after got 3 minutes and the poor house next to the fire had a melted spouting...goes to show they value property over lives....similar with the medals thing...they are a loss but in the end they are only posessions...people are far are important

[Oakie]

Regarding the Buller fatality, I wonder what the biker who the cop turned to chase is feeling right now, or if he even realises the chain of events he started.

[Boob Johnson]

Depends how you see it Boob, for me anyway the worst part is there's dead motorcyclists, whatever the occupation of any involved that survived I bet there not feeling to good at the moment. RIP to the motorcyclists and at the same time I spare a thought for all involved right or wrong as they have bad times ahead.
Would of thought it was pretty obvious the deaths of people/motorcyclists were the most tragic

[James Deuce]

Regarding the Buller fatality, I wonder what the biker who the cop turned to chase is feeling right now, or if he even realises the chain of events he started.

He's a Kiwi. He won't give a shit.

[Ghost_Bullet]

Quite chilling that as we were venturing through from Fairlie to Geraldine, that the passing riders may have been the fatality's.

Either way with-out the facts, very sad.

[Str8 Jacket]

Does it chill anyone else that 3 motorcylists passed away this weekend? I know it does me......

[dipshit]

I wonder what the biker who the cop turned to chase is feeling right now,

Probably relieved at not getting the speeding ticket. :rockon:

[pritch]

I ain't commenting too much.
I don't know all the facts, public or otherwise.
But I'm keen to find out -even if the cop was totally responsible for the whole fiasco.

Me too. But I don't fancy my chances. Yours might be a bit better :-)

[Oakie]

Thats hard to know, but it could be a driver without a seatbelt, a guy towing a trailer at 85kmph, a pretty blonde doing 105kmph, a car with a headlight out or to loud exhaust. Any of these criminals could have "started" this chain of events.

Yeah but it was a guy (or girl) on a bike who started this one. One of 'us'.

[dipshit]

Thats hard to know, but it could be a driver without a seatbelt, a guy towing a trailer at 85kmph, a pretty blonde doing 105kmph, a car with a headlight out or to loud exhaust. Any of these criminals could have "started" this chain of events.

It was reported that the cop was turning to pursue a speeding motorcyclist.

[Nonbeliever]

It doesn't matter if the bike was speeding or not, the cop should've chosen a safe place to do a Uturn.

No doubt an internal police enquiry will lay the blame for this accident with the motorcyclist.

[dmouse]

hey look guys the important thing here is more bikers lost, and for what people not being aware of whats happening around them thats all it is.
people need to be aware of there surroundings when riding driving or just on the road on a pushbike its that simple but the problem with the attitude on the road is really bad, when i learnt to ride in the uk we were taught to read the road and vehicles ahead and make judgements from them, you can no longer ride for yourselves you ride for the person six cars ahead and behind/sides because its these that will take you out given chance, its your responsabilty its your safety you are not forced to speed, there is no such thing as an accident, there is allways a reason its just understanding the reason thats the hard part, my heart goes out to these famileis, ypur god go with you.

cause and effect its a hell of a mess.

[ceebie13]

Without detracting from the sad losses near Geraldine, I have to say that there are still a few of us out there who bring these tragedies upon themselves and by doing so tar us all with the same brush. Bex and I, accompanied by some biking friends witnessed a display of testosterone fuelled "circus tricks" along the Wairarapa back roads near Gladstone this afternoon. By that I mean
black Hornet - pops a half-mile, standing on pegs wheelie and rides behind and alongside us on the wrong side of the road as if to say "aren't I clever?"
Answer: Very probably, but you have no consideration for the safety of others using the road. So piss off and practise your stunts elsewhere!

Sorry, not really the right thread to vent that but, clever and skillful as it may be, when you see these sort of antics on a public road it begs the question...why?

[merv]

Does it chill anyone else that 3 motorcylists passed away this weekend? I know it does me......

Yep it is chilling, and 3 the weekend before.

Sadly though these stats http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/NewPDFs/section1-historical-2006.pdf show that the country is sort of used to this kind of thing. The worst thing with bikes is while the number on the road has been growing of late it is still nothing like the number that graced the roads in the 70's and 80's whereas the car numbers have increased effectively improving the safety stats for cars.

Comparisons are:

The worst level of road fatalities was 1973 - total 843 (approx 16/week), bikers - 130 (approx 2.5/week).

The worst year for bikers was 1988 when the road fatalities were total all modes 727 (approx 14/week), bikers 146 (approx 2.8 so nearly 3/week).

The current year to date as at 30 November 2007 has seen 373 fatalities, with 32 of these being bikers (approx 0.7/week). So certainly the last two weekends have been way worse than the average so far this year for bikers.

What does all this tell us? Probably not much except there is a huge degree of randomnous in all this and with fatalities no-one makes the same mistake twice if they were to blame, but whatever, please take it easy everyone - we don't want the stats climbing back so that around 3 a week is the average like it was in 1988.

[dmouse]

i had one do this to me a few months back but i got the last laugh when his mobile and wallet fellt out of his jacket pocket only to smash and send all the money out of his purse all over the road causeing more obstructions they dont learn and when they bin it badly we hear it on the news and on here and we wonder and pay our respects, but as hard as life is there are allways more lemmings out there with no brains and no future, i dont want to be famous i leave the stunts upto the pro`s, and i aint talkin that kind of pro, rip knvil you proved that you were the best and died of old age

[NighthawkNZ]

i had one do this to me a few months back

I saw one do one on Hope Street here in Dunedin at High rate of knots nearly... (For thos that don't know Hope street not the most even street, and has had recent works and needs more...) it wouldn't have taken much for him to have a misshap and then have his bike go wild... and the time I was a predestrain and any number of things and chains of events could have put me at risk...

At the end of the day, I don't give a flying fuck how good you think you are at riding or at pulling wheelies, and doing stoppies... it doesn't take much for you to make a fuckup and then you put others at risk, not just you. If it was just you I wouldn't care, cause I don't care about you or who you are with hal load testostrone filled balls, but I do care about my friends and family and that every time you do one of these stunts in built up public areas you are putting them in danger...

[Boob Johnson]

It doesn't matter if the bike was speeding or not, the cop should've chosen a safe place to do a Uturn.

No doubt an internal police enquiry will lay the blame for this accident with the motorcyclist.
Take ANOTHER look at your rode code mate, there speed DOES matter. Your meant to be able to stop in time even if someone does something out of the ordinary. If the cop can't see another vehicle in site, pulls the UE & is hit by another vehicle, I would take a guess they were at pace, but again, not all facts are in so it's nothing more than speculation.

[NighthawkNZ]

were did this come frrom? did I miss something?
Sounds like to me you cant whellie but would like to, I can show ya ;)
And for what its worth... the only one at risk as a general rule is the rider (depends on circmstances) tell ya what you wouldent have wanted to have seen me this morning... I could have killed a huge carpark ull of people :Oops:


Without detracting from the sad losses near Geraldine, I have to say that there are still a few of us out there who bring these tragedies upon themselves and by doing so tar us all with the same brush. Bex and I, accompanied by some biking friends witnessed a display of testosterone fuelled "circus tricks" along the Wairarapa back roads near Gladstone this afternoon. By that I mean
black Hornet - pops a half-mile, standing on pegs wheelie and rides behind and alongside us on the wrong side of the road as if to say "aren't I clever?"
Answer: Very probably, but you have no consideration for the safety of others using the road. So piss off and practise your stunts elsewhere!

Sorry, not really the right thread to vent that but, clever and skillful as it may be, when you see these sort of antics on a public road it begs the question...why?

As a side note D, I can wheelie just fine, when and if I want too VTR very easy to pop a mono as you know ;), but the point was and is... there is a time and place, a time and place... and the public road is neither the time (any time,) unless it is closed for a street race, then it is no longer a public road... or the place to be doing this. keep it for the track... :)

I'm also sorry for vent and probably in the wrong thread as ceebie13 stated...

[chanceyy]

If he pulled out then yes and he will be treated much more harshly by the Courts than a civillian would. He will get raked over the coals so to speak.

have to agree with you dyna .. do not have to look that far back to remember the cop who was done for dui when attending that fatal crash

& he got far more media coverage than normal joe bloggs would have

[Ixion]

Bugger me, there are comments about two totally unrelated crashs mixed up together in this thread, and it is damn confusing.

Would a mod please take time out from infractioning people for posting off topic and do some real moderating and sort this messed up thread out.

[dangerous]

Take ANOTHER look at your rode code mate, there speed DOES matter. Your meant to be able to stop in time even if someone does something out of the ordinary. If the cop can't see another vehicle in site, pulls the UE & is hit by another vehicle, I would take a guess they were at pace, but again, not all facts are in so it's nothing more than speculation.

so acording to you... and your road code, no one has accos it just cant happen, well doh what about the blind spot, the I dident see you... accos happen man its a part of life.

[onearmedbandit]

Take ANOTHER look at your rode code mate, there speed DOES matter. Your meant to be able to stop in time even if someone does something out of the ordinary. If the cop can't see another vehicle in site, pulls the UE & is hit by another vehicle, I would take a guess they were at pace, but again, not all facts are in so it's nothing more than speculation.


Ex-girlfriend of mine pulled a u-turn in front of a speeding courier van in her cage, his speed was estimated at 80-85km/h judging by skid marks etc. She was charged with careless use or something for failing to ascertain that the road was clear, he received no charges.

[Hitcher]

Could we please endeavour to maintain a bit of respect in this thread for some fallen riders and their families.

There is no need for some of the extremely aggro comment being leveled at some folk. Nor should this become yet another opportunity to engage in cop bashing. Some posts have already been relocated to The Drivel Thread. More will follow if this nonsense keeps up.

Please consider this a general and final warning.

[dmouse]

someone has to say thats enough whether it be a club group or just social riders we are all to blame for letting it go on in our rides or whatever, we have the power to kick these people in to touch and as has been said make them realise that its not for public roads if i wanted to see this i can take my family to a show where its safe for all, or i can sit for weeks watching some wannbe trying to kill himself and everyone else on the net, no thanks i have seen enough on the news so many friends brothers sisters mothers fathers what a waste and if its in the name of fun then you deserve to be jailed as you are not fit to be in society for in your fun lies our family and you should be outcast

nuff said im getting a little steamy under the collar, and for the cops keep doin the job guys we all have our faults some we can fix but others unfortunalty guys like you have to scrape them off of the road.

and i am not taring all bikers with the same brush here just the idiots and they know who they are.

as for accidents they are only an accident if no one is involved, accidents are caused by lazy driving/riding skills, if you let the skills slip then you lose the S KILLS

[dmouse]

too true mate well said



Could we please endeavour to maintain a bit of respect in this thread for some fallen riders and their families.

There is no need for some of the extremely aggro comment being leveled at some folk. Nor should this become yet another opportunity to engage in cop bashing. Some posts have already been relocated to The Drivel Thread. More will follow if this nonsense keeps up.

Please consider this a general and final warning.

[dmouse]

i had the same problem and im still fightin insurance cops are on my side, see
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=61745




Ex-girlfriend of mine pulled a u-turn in front of a speeding courier van, his speed was estimated at 80-85km/h judging by skid marks etc. She was charged with careless use or something for failing to ascertain that the road was clear, he received no charges.

[fireliv]

Does anyone have any updates to the female rider in hospital??? Can only hope she pulls through.
Thinking of the families of those who have passed away

[norwester]

Thats all very interesting about y'all..But RIP our two bros and sister and thoughts and best wishes to the sis in hospital.........

[Drew]

Without detracting from the sad losses near Geraldine, I have to say that there are still a few of us out there who bring these tragedies upon themselves and by doing so tar us all with the same brush. Bex and I, accompanied by some biking friends witnessed a display of testosterone fuelled "circus tricks" along the Wairarapa back roads near Gladstone this afternoon. By that I mean
black Hornet - pops a half-mile, standing on pegs wheelie and rides behind and alongside us on the wrong side of the road as if to say "aren't I clever?"
Answer: Very probably, but you have no consideration for the safety of others using the road. So piss off and practise your stunts elsewhere!

Sorry, not really the right thread to vent that but, clever and skillful as it may be, when you see these sort of antics on a public road it begs the question...why?

It was me who was showing off...


Could we please endeavour to maintain a bit of respect in this thread for some fallen riders and their families.



Please consider this a general and final warning.

I'll start a thread in rant and rave now to retort.www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=1322909#post1322909

[Cache Wraith]

Been travelling all day in a cage, Auckland to Taupo and return. Saw a lot of riders on the road and envied them. Saw a few groups travelling together and gotta say they were all riding smart. Within the limit, staggered nicely and behaving themselves. The only idiot I saw all day was a patched biker hooning it down the Mt Wellington Highway. Coming home and reading about the death of fellow bikers on such an awesome day, leaves me saddenned. At this point in time it's irrelevant what caused the crash, I'm just going to take some time tonight and send some loving thoughts for the family of the bikers down. Also some thoughts for the cop and his family, he will be going through a living hell, as will everyone involved. If the KiwiBiker community understood the power of positive thought (see 'The Secret' or a million other books on the power of thought) we could all be doing a heck of a lot of good together, although it may not be obvious. And with all due to respect, Bikers don't RIP. That's for people who lead dull lives. Bikers hunt out the excitement wherever they are. Ride on brothers and sisters.

[ehab2weelr]

R.I.P to those who have taken ther last ride, and hope there in a better place.....ride on bros and sis, ride on!!!!!

riders please take care if my mother hears about this i might never get to ride againe.

no speeding and no showing off, might be cool at the time but not so cool when u kill yourself is it!!!!!!

i no the three riders that passed on 2day are not to be blamed, but sooner or later well hear bout some one who got killed on 2 wheels, dont wont it to be u!!!!

take care.........

[Swoop]

gotta say i was gutted at the lack of empathy or coverage of the story by TV 3 it was all of about 10 seconds....
I was quite surprised that there was any footage at all. Simple facts being reported, as obviously there is little information to go by at this time.


As said earlier, it is "that" time of year...
Let's be careful out there people!

[Conquiztador]

My thoughts are with the families and friends of the fallen bikers.

What a waste. What a total waste.

[rossi]

just a note on cop car veses bike..i was riding along comming upto a rounderbout last week L plate on bike and all changed down to 4th look in mirror change down 2 more times look in mirror nothing there start to brake the.here a car right beside me (fark) its a cop car lights no no siren cuts me up and turns up the hill tyre spinning.had to pullover and have a smoke after that.was very close i could have opend his door and slap him

[rossi]

RIP to the fullen riders
so sad
my heart gos out to there loved ones

[Nasty]

One of riders were named this morning in the Dom Post. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4307642a10.html


Three people were killed after the motorcycles they were riding collided with a Britz campervan on State Highway 79 between Geraldine and Fairlie.

One of the three killed was Timaru father-of-three Gavin MacDonald, whose two youngest daughters were with him on the ill-fated charity ride.

His 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital after the accident with what police described as serious injuries. However, a Christchurch Hospital spokeswoman said last night that she had been released from the emergency department about 6pm.

A British man and woman, who had lived in South Canterbury's Pleasant Point for the past six months, also died at the scene of the accident, which happened about noon yesterday about 10km from Fairlie.

[Paul in NZ]

Given the circumstances and the time of the year - this is unbelievably sad...

Please - is there anyone local that knows the riders or their families? I would dearly love to make some kind of donation (or something) to these people or their kids. Maybe a bit raw at the moment but if there is an opportunity??

I dunno - what a horror thing - what could you do...

edit - so? Wadda you think? A bank account or something???? Contact through the reporter?? - Help??

edit edit - who organised the ride?? Maybe thats a start??

[janno]

I found the details for Bronz Timaru on the Bronz website.

P O Box 572
Timaru 7940
President: Dave Lowrey
Telephone: 03 688 6345
Secretary: Lex Fraser
Telephone: 03 612 6454
e-mail: bronztimaru@hotmail.com

So presumably you'd start there?

[miSTa]

Just been reading the Stuff article...Ghost Bullet and I would certainly have overtaken the campervan and we both remember the big group of riders and giving them a wave, minutes before it all went wrong. Chilling.

[RabidTraNZiT]

I met Gav through a workmate of mine about 20 years ago, and he was a top bloke. I had hoped it wasn't going to be anyone I knew. Damn.

I can't comment on his riding as I've never ridden with him, but he was a careful guy due to working with heavy construction gear all his working life - he was not at all a risk taker. Well he did ride a bike, and we are all risk takers I guess, but he wasn't a loose unit. Not a stoner or chronic pisshead either (just in case anyone's asking) 'cos Fulton Grogan have an A and D testing policy. (I had some pretty good pissups with Gav in the 80s, though) ...

12 months ago to the day, I gave up riding in groups of more than about 6 bikes, now I am reminded again of why I made that decision.

RIP Gavin, Timaru and the wider biking community will miss ya, mate. Hugs and best wishes to all that are left behind.

John.

[janno]

I have just sent a brief message of condolence to the Timaru Bronz hotmail address. Hopefully it gets to someone relevant. . .

[cruza]

Didn't look like the best place to be making a U-turn, IMHO.

wrong....3 point turn as said in the news,even slower! and on a sweeping corner, would have liked to have seen the patrol car if it was a truck coming instead of bikes. looking at the footage on news last nite ,I wouldn't be 3 point turning the family car round,find somewhere safer.I drive for a living .

[one-speed]

R.I.P bikers
thoughts to the ones involved

[Tonka]

RIP bikers!

Thoughts and prayers go out to the families involved.

[Tank]

Just having read this thread I am shocked and saddened.

There are a lot of post who's comments are downright disrespectful and disgusting.

Firstly the cop who did the U turn / 3 point turn (whatever) - yes it was a mistake and a stupid thing to do. The action caused the death of people. People comment here thinking there is going to be a slap on the wrist or a cover up and that the biker will be found at fault.

Can you imaging what this guy is going thru - knowing that something he did caused the accident and that he killed people - Some of you act like he couldn't give a shit - that 'public' are dispensable just because he wears a uniform - seriously you make me sick. Cops are out there serving the public - like em or not - they are doing a job most of us wouldn't because they care MORE than the majority - I bet he is going thru hell right now - just like any other reasonable person would. My thoughts go out to him as well.

What started all this - a speeding biker. Yes the cop made an accident and did the u-turn, but the root cause of this was a biker - should he not have been speeding then there would have been no accident.

Even if he was on this forum - I bet you dont see someone going "Yeah that was me" why - because he would know that S/HE is the root cause not the cop that so many of you are taking morbid delight in bashing.

Then I read comments coming into this thread about bikers who were doing 160km two up being over taken by some idiot doing a wheelie (or something along those lines) - hell acting like that is the kind of thing that makes cops do u-turns. But thats OK isnt it - they are bike brothers!!!!

I feel for all involved in the horrible accidents over the weekend. Ill save my hatred for the drunk drivers and idiots road racers.

[MSTRS]

Can you imaging what this guy is going thru - knowing that something he did caused the accident and that he killed people -

I hope he does feel awful...but I'm not aware that either biker died in this case. The deaths were another case further south which involved a camper van not a cop.

[NighthawkNZ]

I hope he does feel awful...but I'm not aware that either biker died in this case. The deaths were another case further south which involved a camper van not a cop.

Thats what I thought... the one involving the cop, there are 2 or 3 injuried one seriously and in a crictical state.

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/071202/3/2wsj.html

[Tank]

I hope he does feel awful...but I'm not aware that either biker died in this case. The deaths were another case further south which involved a camper van not a cop.


Thats what I thought... the one involving the cop, there are 2 or 3 injuried one seriously and in a crictical state.

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/071202/3/2wsj.html

OK I stand (happily) corrected on the resulting deaths (you can see how confusing this thread is) - however the comments I made still stand in regard to how people react in this thread.

[Ixion]

According to the Press (http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4307421a6009.html)the little girl has died also - 4 deaths. For the avoidance of doubt, there was no cop involved in that crash, that was the one with the foreigners in the camper van

[Mikkel]

That is so sad! So terrible...

[Lias]

Herald also confirms the young girl was killed, and says the other 2 dead bikers were brits.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/9/story.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10479758


The death toll from a horror motorcycle crash continues to climb, with an 11-year-old girl succumbing to her injuries overnight.

The accident was a tragic end to a charity motorcycle drive which aimed to raise funds for under-privileged children.

A campervan collided with the group of motorcyclists just after midday on State Highway 79, between Geraldine and Fairlie, in South Canterbury.

Motorcyclist Gavin MacDonald, of Timaru, was killed at the scene and his 11-year-old daughter Olivia, who was riding pillion with him, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Olivia died later in hospital.

A British man and woman, who had been living in Pleasant Point, 19km northwest of Timaru, for the past six months, also died. The woman had been riding pillion on her partner's bike.

The occupants of the campervan were unhurt.

The Christchurch Press said the cyclists were part of an annual toy rally organised by Timaru's Bikers' Rights Organisation of New Zealand (Bronz) club.

Cyclists make a 180km round trip from Timaru through Pleasant Point, Geraldine and Fairlie collecting gifts for poor children and delivering them to the Salvation Army in Timaru.

Mr MacDonald was a foreman at Fulton Hogan in Timaru.

The accident lifts the weekend road toll to six.

In New Plymouth, a 40-year-old man was killed after his car hit a power pole on Carrington Road, about 10.15pm yesterday.

Acting Sergeant Royston Betteridge said it appeared the man had lost control on a section of road that had recently been resealed.

While investigations into the crash were continuing, police believed the section had been adequately marked with warning signs and speed limit advisories.

Speed was possibly a factor in the accident.

Another person died and two were seriously injured after their Nissan saloon crashed on Brookfield Road in Pakowhai, 7km north of Hastings, about 9.30pm on Saturday.

- NZPA

[Lissa]

Rest in peace. So very very very sad. A father and daughter were killed :( I cant imagine what their and the other families are going through. Fly with the angels.

[gijoe1313]

..........

[cruza]

OK I stand (happily) corrected on the resulting deaths (you can see how confusing this thread is) - however the comments I made still stand in regard to how people react in this thread.

fair enough thoughts tank,Police do have a tough job in some respects, and there are idiots out on the road(160kph wheel stands). I'm sure he is thinking about judgement/policy/quota/injuries right now. Maybe a flash of the lights warning would have been a better option, who knows.......

[Oakie]

Regarding the Fairlie accident, there's a photo of the scene on the stuff.co.nz website. The skidmarks tell pretty much the whole story.

[Krusti]

Oh my God. My thoughts are with the families and friends of those lost in this crash.

From the pic of scene there was NOTHING that those guys could have done.

Every motorcyclists greatest fear. RIP...........

[sunhuntin]

that poor bloody kid.

even worse considering what the ride was for as well. ride in peace.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Yeah but it was a guy (or girl) on a bike who started this one. One of 'us'.

Nonsense. The proximate cause is what appears to be an illconsidered U turn. Why that turn was occurring is completely immaterial, as is the occupation of the driver of the vehicle, though it would be reasonable to expect a professional driver to display a better skill set than a civilian and display better judgment as to location.

Watch for some victim blaming, rightly or wrongly, as the positions get entrenched and the lawyers get involved:

Greg Oconnor will be saying that the bikes that ploughed into the cop car were speeding, so the cop is not to blame, whatever the evidence suggests... or is that just me being cynical.

[MSTRS]

Can we please keep the two issues in their own threads...This is the camper van/deaths one.

[sunhuntin]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=22157310&threadid=22157310

pc brigade bleating on about the back of a bike not the place for a kid...

[Tank]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=22157310&threadid=22157310

pc brigade bleating on about the back of a bike not the place for a kid...

People on Trademe messages boards arn't the PC brigade - the are the P brigade. Seriously they are well messed up.

[Patar]

A charity ride is cut short when a campervan kills 3 motorcyclists and leaves an 11 year-old girl in hospital.

Tragic.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10479758

[Guided_monkey]

Yet again more bikers lost....

RIP fellow bikers.

[JMemonic]

People on Trademe messages boards arn't the PC brigade - the are the P brigade. Seriously they are well messed up.

Yeap I wonder about some of them, other are level headed and reasonable, sounds like just about every other forum in the world.

[Genestho]

*sigh* condolences to the families...:no:

[Pixie]

What started all this - a speeding biker. Yes the cop made an accident and did the u-turn, but the root cause of this was a biker - should he not have been speeding then there would have been no accident.



No it was his mum's fault for giving birth to him.
Or his great grandad for getting drunk the night WW 1 ended.
Or maybe the football match he was late getting to.

[Ixion]

No, it's actually the roading engineers. If they made the roads less good, people wouldn't be able to speed.

Bring back gravel, in the interests of safety!

Which is a at least half serious comment.

[NighthawkNZ]

No, it's actually the roading engineers. If they made the roads less good, people wouldn't be able to speed.

Bring back gravel, in the interests of safety!

Which is a at least half serious comment.

Oh well that just means I buy an adventure bike... :)

[u4ea]

........ .......... ......... ...........

[GaZBur]

This is the worst possible nightmare! We riders accept some amount of risk but a lovely wee girl who had a whole life to live. I was on the Dunedin toy run and there were heaps of happy young children on the back of bikes including my own and I can only begin to imagine how the family feels.
This may affect a lot of us when deciding - do we give our kids a wonderful time and let them ride with us - or tell them no?

Condolences to all those affected by this tragedy.

[fireliv]

Thoughts go out the the MacDonald family. To lose both father and daughter is a real nightmare.
RIP:weep:

[Little Miss Trouble]

I haven't read the whole thread but it looks like an earlier report was incorrect, Olivia (the 11yo girl) has not died but is in intensive care.

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=79234&cat=1033&fm=newsarticle,nur

[sunhuntin]

goddam media needs to get their facts right!

speaking of which, its 6.15, and wheres the reports? some 10mins on those medals, and thats it. [tv3]

[MSTRS]

Hey Sun...you go girl, over on TM :Punk: from JJ1

[Little Miss Trouble]

goddam media needs to get their facts right!

speaking of which, its 6.15, and wheres the reports? some 10mins on those medals, and thats it. [tv3]

Damn looks like i spoke too soon, TV3 says she passed away this afternoon

[sunhuntin]

early reports that stated she was dead, said she died over night. tv3 said this afternoon.

[candor]

.................................................. .................................................. ...................

[sunhuntin]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=22166468&threadid=22166468

cos i can be an evil bitch when needed. fuckin trademe is retarded.

[EroSamnin]

:weep: So sad :(

[Big Dan]

RIP Riders may you ride in peace

2nd Dec seems to be a day most of us will NEVER forget

Thoughts with families and friends of riders

[quickbuck]

RIP to the Fallen.
They were trying to do some good in the community, and this happens!

TRAGIC!

Ride safe everybody.

[Twosup]

This just rips your heart, four lost souls when enjoying a Toy run rally the things we sometimes all take part in for Humanity. Be very afraid of those tin tops.
My condolences to family and friends.

[ajturbo]

2 weeks ago BuellBabe, Rashika and I were on that road... a few days later we were on that road the cop pulled out infront of the other 2....

makes ya think eh?

RIP :bye:

[WelshWizard]

Rest in peace.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10479758
a real taint to a charity run :(
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families

[dogsnbikes]

Always up setting when riders fall,and now have just heard that a child pillion has past away also thoughts go out too all friends and families of all

RIP guys

you may have been taken but may you never be forgotton:weep:

[kevie]

Condolences to all those affected :(

Was listening to fire/ambo/police channel Wanganui and Manawatu on the weekend and there was a lot of motorcyclists went down in our region.... not good :(

Our toyrun is on the 15th (Manawatu) so guessing it will be a bit somber.


Webby ... any plans for a funding appeal for the families of the victims in this crash ???

[BarBender]

What does one say....:(

RIP

[MyGSXF]

My heart breaks for these families.. tis so incredibly sad.. :weep:

god, I was out with my 11 year old on the back, at our local toy run on Saturday.. :( & then out riding together for the afternoon...

[Daffyd]

The driver of the campervan, an Austrian Tourist has been charged with, 'Careless use of a motor vehicle causing death'.

[Monkeyboy]

I heard on the wireless that in Canterbury in the last 5 years motorcycle crashes have risen 60 % and 40 % nationally, it's starting to look like the eighties all over again! I can tell you for sure that those stats are wrong in that I reckon most motorcycle crashes are unreported. On the Akaroa highway bikes are going down left right and centre and I have no doubt that a crackdown is coming:Police:, we're screwed!!!!:eek:

[Ixion]

Dunno about Canterbury. The national increase is about right. BUT, per 10000 motorcycles registered, the increase in crashes is tiny (about 2%) and the fatalities per 10000 regos is down slightly (5.2 to 5.1). So, yes, more crashes , but it's entirely explainable by more bikes on the road. The crash RATE is unchanged. More bikes, more crashes, sorta logical.

[cruza]

An Austrian tourist whose careless driving killed four people in a head-on smash near Fairlie on Sunday pleaded guilty to six charges in the Christchurch District Court today - four of causing death and two of causing injury by careless driving.


Heike Schellnegger, a 30-year-old architect, entered the pleas at her appearance before Judge Colin Doherty, only a day after her first appearance in the Timaru District Court.

Her passport has already been surrendered to the police, and she was remanded on bail for sentencing on December 19.

Judge Doherty called for pre-sentence and victim impact reports, and a reparation report. He said the reparation report would look at possible payment of emotional harm reparation to the families.

Motorcyclist Gavin MacDonald of Timaru died at the scene of the crash about midday on Sunday on Highway 79. His 11-year-old daughter Olivia died the following day at Christchurch Hospital.

The other two people killed were a British man and woman who had been living at Pleasant Point near Timaru for the past six months.

[gijoe1313]

............

[RantyDave]

An Austrian tourist whose careless driving killed four people in a head-on smash near Fairlie on Sunday pleaded guilty
I'm practically applauding over here. Nice to see a cager admitting fault for a change and kinda a shame it's an Austrian rather than A Kiwi. It remains to be seen whether or not officer "But you were speeding" fucknuckle of Blenheim will admit to the charge of "driving with head up arse".

Respect inducing honesty from the police? Yeah, right.

Dave

[Mikkel]

This is indeed a tragedy for everyone involved. Including the tourists!

[fireliv]

Just remember people, there was no "intent" here, she made a stupid mistake that anyonce could have made, and the result was horrific. No matter what sentence she gets, she has to live with the fact that she killed 4 people, that she robbed a family of a father and daughter. I wouldnt wish that upon anyone

[beyond]

Shocking news......... :( :( :( :(

Makes you wonder about the 2nd December. Was the day last year we lost Bruce and Darryl and now four more on the same date a year later :(

[El Dopa]

I'm practically applauding over here. Nice to see a cager admitting fault for a change and kinda a shame it's an Austrian rather than A Kiwi.

Germany (and I think Austria, too) has some interesting traffic laws that might have coloured the thinking of their drivers over the years they've been in force.

For example, if a car hits a (push) bike, it is always the fault of the car, unless they can unequivocally prove otherwise.

Their mental perception appears to be skewed far more towards the assumption that the car driver is at fault because they weren't driving at an adequate/expected skill level, in nearly all circumstances.

[MyGSXF]

Respect to the driver for pleading guilty, at least. Christmas will never be the same.. for ANY of the people & families involved.. :no:

I saw the photos of the dad & daughter in the paper today.. Olivia was dressed up as a bridesmaid.. & even through my tears I could see there sure is very beautiful, new little angel in heaven now! :yes: RIP babe.. with your daddy.. :hug:

[Winter]

I saw the photos of the dad & daughter in the paper today.. Olivia was dressed up as a bridesmaid.. & even through my tears I could see there sure is very beautiful, new little angel in heaven now! :yes: RIP babe.. with your daddy.. :hug:

I saw that photo on the news tonight. Made my heart sink and my eyes swell up.

There is some truly terrible stuff that happens in this world.

RIP, Olivia.
RIP, Dad.


Does anyone know of any donation schemes or whatever for her family? I can't imagine what they are going through.

[Usarka]

Saw the news article tonight on tv1 - having a beer for the father and daughter, the two other riders and the all the other guys who had to deal with it.

good to see a "biker positive" newsclip from tvnz even though the circumstances suck.

[WelshWizard]

http://tv3.co.nz/Video/Austrianfullofremorseovertragiccampervancrash/tabid/309/articleID/40952/cat/64/Default.aspx

[FJRider]

out and bought another bike. I wonder if it was the same type
he was riding or if the accident had frightened him into a different
bike.

As we ALL know, motorbikes ARE dangerous.Accidents do happen.You either stay POSITIVE and get back on the "HORSE". Or stay inside a cage for the rest of YOUR motoring days / years. (People die in them too) More people die in car accidents than bike accidents,and they haven't banned THEM yet.How many KB'ers have had serious accidents, then have NEVER ridden a motorcycle again...EVER ???????? what would you do ???

[sunhuntin]

so long as i could hold the bike up, id get back on. i did have one scare not long after being hit the first time where i escaped unscathed, but it scared me so much i nearly hung the keys up for good. it was only due to support here that i didnt.

[FJRider]

just be careful out there...everybody.

[FJRider]

The laws of the land may be on your side, but the laws of gravity and physics, may not be.