One person has died after a collision between a shared bike and a car in Martinborough this morning.
Police said the crash occurred on Puruatanga Rd, between Regent St and Todds Rd, at around 10.45am.
Nearby vineyard workers responded to the crash on road with a 100km/h speed limit. (Source: 1News)
Inspector Brad Allen said the deceased was critically injured but died at the scene before they were able to be airlifted to hospital.
“Three other people, also on the bike, suffered serious injuries.”
“Police’s thoughts, aroha, and condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” Allen said.
The crash occurred in an area with a 100km/h open road speed limit and was a popular route for cycling between vineyards.
A couple of nearby vineyard staff members helped with the emergency response. One staffmember told 1News the road was a safety concern, given how many cyclists used it — and what happened today was “inevitable”.
Police said the crash occurred on Puruatanga Rd, between Regent St and Todds Rd, at around 10.45am. (Source: 1News)
‘Our staff would help in a heartbeat’ — Poppies Martinborough owner
Poppy Hammond from Poppies Martinborough said the crash near her vineyard was “devastating”.
She said her heart plummeted when she heard what had happened.
Hammond said an incident like this involving a bicycle had never occurred in the 12 years she’d run her vineyard.
There was a mantra of sharing the “big, wide” Puruatanga Rd by cars and bikes, and visitors to her vineyard were reminded of this, she said.
Poppies’ front of house manager was also a volunteer firefighter and ran outside to help emergency staff provide first aid to the injured group, Hammond said.
She said he acted with kindness and professionalism. “Any of them would do that in a heartbeat.”
This tragedy was ‘inevitable’ — vineyard worker
A staff member from another vineyard, who didn’t want to be named, said he’d held safety concerns about the open road as it had no bike lane for cyclists to use.
The part of the road where the crash occurred has a speed limit of 100km/h and he said what occurred was “inevitable”.
Tourists 1News spoke to who came across the crash scene while first aid was being administered said their “hearts go out to the people involved and their families”.
The pair, who also didn’t want to be named, were part of a tour group who had hired shared bikes to travel between different vineyards.
They said the business, which differed from the business that hired the bike involved, told them to get off their shared bikes after hearing what had happened as a van would transport them for the rest of the day.
The couple hoped the multi-person bike experience would continue to be offered in Martinborough, saying they believed “it is safe”.
The serious crash unit was conducting a scene examination and enquiries into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing, police said.
The road remained closed and motorists were advised to take an alternate route.
