Emergency services responded to a Christmas day crash on the same deceptively treacherous corner of Masterton Castlepoint Rd that was the scene of three crashes just over a week ago.
The crash happened about two kilometres from Castlepoint at around 12.30pm on Monday, with the vehicle – which had been travelling with another car – rolling and going over a bank after smashing through a fence.
One patient was transported to Masterton in a serious condition, a Wellington Free Ambulance spokesperson confirmed.
According to Castlepoint Rural Fire Force’s Anders Crofoot, who attended the incident, speed appears to have been a factor.
“Based on the tire marks, it looks like the car swung a bit wide at the corner, over-corrected as it was coming off the hard tarseal, shot across the other side of the road, and went through the fence that the council contractors had just fixed after the previous weekend’s crashes,” he said.
“It’s really fortunate that the car went between two trees instead of into one of them.”
There has been some question of whether ongoing road repairs had contributed to the trio of earlier crashes, which happened on December 16 and 17, when there had been some loose gravel on the road and the warning signs that were in place – including those signalling a temporary 30kph speed limit – had been blown over by high winds.
However, Crofoot confirmed that on Monday, December 18, contractors for Masterton District Council had returned to the site “where they’ve done a very nice job of fixing a big drop out”, cleared the road, and fixed the fencing.
“I think it’s down to people travelling too fast on roads they don’t understand,” Crofoot said, “although given the number of crashes we’ve had in short succession in the same spot, I’m beginning to wonder whether there’s something else that can be done with that corner.
“It’s getting a bit tiresome.”
Its down to the idiot drivers behind the wheel cars dont crasj just for the hell of it when you get a lot of outer towners that dont know the roads and drive way to fast for the conditons and in the silly season. So are we trying to saying that all roads need to be swept we might as well bubble wrap everybody.
It pisses me off let blame the road the road works and everything else but not the idiot behind the wheel of the vehicle yes there has been 4 crashes in a week all could of not happened if people slowed the hell down and drive to the conditions
It’s true driving too fast is a big factor in these kinds of accidents however at this particular location there are two other factors that contributed to these past accidents. One of them is gravels being on road surface and second is at this particular location there is a bend on road. When someone’s vehicle slips/skids due to high speed, loosing control, and/or any other reason the above factors makes it worse.
I think the risk of accidents can be reduced by adding warning signs (for loose chip seals and higher accidental area), by cleaning loose chips/gravels from road, and adding temporary traffic management until the road is fixed.
I think appropriate Road Controlling Authority (RCA) needs to take some actions here. I raised this issue to Masterton District Council after the incident happened on 17th December as I was present at the accident site but it looks like no improvements have been made.
True traveling to fast for road conditions I was there on the 17th accident when the car caught fire 🔥. Maybe a few signs stating the distance left to go, it can become tiresome for families and visitors but for some of the young and middle aged who just love racing that’s them and all the restrictions put in place gets the majority of drivers annoyed? A nanny state. I would try distance signs first?.