Riders down - RIP: South Island, 2 December 07

[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:Me]

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:Me]

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 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/...ectid=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