You will still Live in an E30

[bumpstop325 0]

Man badly injured as car smashes into 2 trucks

16.02.2007

By Beck Vass

A 19-year-old Katikati man is in Tauranga Hospital with serious head injuries after his car crashed into two trucks on State Highway 2 at 4.30am today.

The crash happened about 10km south of Katikati, near the intersection with Work Rd.

It was the second accident this week to bring traffic on the highway to a standstill following a similar crash on Monday near Waihi.

Today, Katikati firefighters faced the horror situation of arriving and discovering they knew the injured man, an electrical apprentice in the town.

The officer in charge of traffic in the Western Bay, Senior Sergeant Ian Campion, said the man was travelling towards Tauranga when his BMW crossed the centre line and clipped a trailer being towed by a heavy truck.

The car rebounded into the path of an oncoming truck and trailer, coming to rest on the wrong side of the road.

Firefighters spent about 30 minutes cutting the man free. He was unconscious at the scene and was taken to Tauranga Hospital by St John Ambulance staff.

Mr Campion said it was amazing the man was alive.

"Looking at the car, I'm extremely surprised that he's survived," he said.

Emergency service workers said they were grateful to the truck drivers who, despite being shaken by the crash, helped the man until medics arrived.

Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times at the scene, the driver of the first truck, Don Prestley, said the crash was the scariest moment of his life.

Mr Prestley has been a truck driver for 11 years and said the car came around a bend. He swerved to avoid it but the car crashed into his trailer unit, just behind where he was sitting, before being hit by the second truck.

Senior Station Officer Peter Carney of the Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade said 12 firefighters from Katikati and Omokoroa freed the man.

Mr Carney was "shocked" to discover the injured man was a colleague, an apprentice at his work. He did not wish to name the business. "We're not quite with it at the moment."

The crash left a lot of oil and diesel on the road which took more than four hours to clear.

Drivers were either stopped from passing the site completely or diverted around Karangahake gorge over the Kaimai Range for the second time this week.

Two serious crash investigators were today mapping the scene of the latest crash to try and find a cause.

Traffic was opened to one lane at 6.30am for residents who lived within the cordoned off areas.

The highway was reopened to traffic from about 8.30am with speed restrictions of 70kmh expected to remain in place for 24 hours because contractors had spread grit over the area.

Mr Campion said while it was too early to say what caused the crashes, he urged drivers to take care on the region's roads.

"A lot of crashes of late have involved heavy motor vehicles," he said.

"When you make a mistake on the road and you hit a heavy motor vehicle then the chances that you can be seriously injured or killed are pretty good.

"You've got to be concentrating on your driving at all times, not driving on auto pilot, and take extreme care. Drive to survive."

In a similar crash on State Highway 2, near Kauri Point Rd on Monday, a 57-year-old Tauranga man suffered serious injuries to his right arm and leg after his light truck crossed the centre lane, hitting a truck's trailer.

The light truck glanced off but was struck by the car that had been following it. The injured man later had his right arm amputated and is still in Waikato Hospital.

Police are still investigating what led to that crash.

[Andrew 30]

fark i know that car

[TronSpec 0]

Fark mean. Just shows how strong these little cars are.

Anymore bigger pics

[bumpstop325 0]

Not from the web. Made the front page of Bay of Times yesterday. Will scan some bigger pics and posted them later today, if ppl are keen.

[steve R 0]

looks like that red e30 show car?

[Nobimmer 694]

Looks kinda like that guy's car that lives on the shore BMWE30...got a BS sticker on the back.

[Guest Spargo]

Looks kinda like that guy's car that lives on the shore BMWE30...got a BS sticker on the back.

That is cage.

It wasn't evan was it?

[BMW POWER 2]

Fark it better not be anyone on here.

[bumpstop325 0]

This is what happens to a truck after an e30 has hit it.

[efirty 0]

sh*t thats some serious damage

Really hope it isn't someone on here ae. But if he was driving a small jappa car, he would be a goner...

[cainchapman 0]

And that probably highlights the reason for double yellow lines on that stretch of road.

Very poor judgement on his part.

[TronSpec 0]

Very poor judgement on his part.

I to was thinking this Cain. You really have to really get it wrong in a e30 to actually fully loose control they hold the road really well

[bimmer boy 21]

Wouldnt be Evan, He sold the wagon quite a while ago. Damn sturdy E30's huh

[Carl 3]

Man, don't jump to conclusions, could've been mechanical. Lucky there wasn't a front seat passenger.

[TronSpec 0]

Man, don't jump to conclusions, could've been mechanical. Lucky there wasn't a front seat passenger.

hmmm true Carl excellent point

[ED1RTY 2]

looks like that red e30 show car?

Got pics? never seen this....

Screw that, as already said. he would be 6 ft under if he was in a jappa.

Gutterd for family, truck drivers etc. I wouldnt wish this on anyone.

f**kng sucks when people crash.

[joel 0]

these cars are strong, was passanger in a 325 that hit parkd cars at 160ks.

idiot driver and idiot me for getting in.

hope that guys in a better shape than his car, hes pretty lucky to still be around

oops.bmp

[TronSpec 0]

holy f**k dude. Did you just say you were the passenger????????????????

Did you walk away or did they stretcher you away?

Anybody being in a E30 when it's Crashed??? Pic's please

[joel 0]

yea, 3 of us in the car. first on the scene thort we were dead as we were knocked out.

driver was ok other passenger went 2 hospital 4 night, i got taken home but couldnt move the next morning, owch!

learnt some lessons that night

[M325is 0]

This was my bimmer after an asian took me out at a round-about, he cut straight through at around 60ks in a 4x4, a shiz load of states money and 3months on she was back on the road. I was surprised how the E30 coped even when all gear box and engine mounts broke on impact, fully fu#ked the suspension too.

[btccm3 1]

sorry guys i dont have a photo but i can personally testify to the strength of e30's i had a mean tec 1 325 a few years back and a dick head drunk driver crashed into the back of it while i was doing about 20kph on the m way(traffik slows you slow to duhh) cops said he was doing between 90 to 110 boot was crushed but cabin wasnt protuding in at all rear window wasent even broken did twist the whole car though prob cause i had the sun roof open.

[m325i 705]

after an asian took me out

I could barely walk in the morning after an asian took me out.

[Guest Spargo]

I could barely walk in the morning after an asian took me out.

I have seen your subaru outside lipstix.

[ED1RTY 2]

This was my bimmer after an asian took me out at a round-about, he cut straight through at around 60ks in a 4x4, a shiz load of states money and 3months on she was back on the road. I was surprised how the E30 coped even when all gear box and engine mounts broke on impact, fully fu#ked the suspension too.

Whos Rx7 in the background??!

Wish i still had photos of the first e30 i wrote off. It seriously was the shape of a banana! AND IT STILL DROVE!!!

[bravo 34]

I could barely walk in the morning after an asian took me out.

Leave your personal life out of it

Tried to make my old 320 fly off a bluff down a bush-clad bank. Couldn't see the car from the road it was that far down, but soft plantings broke my fall. Large tree took out drivers wing mirror (thank god I wasn't 2 feet to the right). Straightened slightly knocked drivers side b-pillar, new front guard, new front valance, 2x new drivers side doors, paint, wheel align - $800 later you couldn't tell it had ever been in an accident - chassis checked and straight, never any future handling or suspension probs.

no injuries save shock.

Edited February 20, 2007 by bravomikewhiskey