By Adam Hollingworth
The New Zealand Transport Agency says despite extensive improvements made last year, there have been two fatal accidents at a notorious blackspot near Waitomo.
The latest accident at the location involved a honeymooning American couple, Kallan Stithem and Kirsten Steinke, who were married in the US last week.
Mr Stithem died in the incident and his wife remains in a critical condition at Waikato Hospital.
Police fear that - like many tourists - he simply looked the wrong way at the junction as he turned off the road from Waitomo Caves into the main highway.
“They’ve entered State Highway number three and been T-boned by a north-bound concrete truck [and] as a result of that crash the car was catapulted onto the incorrect side of the road at State Highway 3,” says Waikato road policing manager Leo Tooman.
Locals have been complaining about the junction for years.
“Every day I go back from work you sort of take your life in your hands, you know, I put my foot down and just go for it and hope you get out,” says Ross O’Halloran.
Police say Mr Stithem looked the wrong way at the intersection.
“We’ve had a young couple who’ve overtaken the vehicle which has stopped at the stop sign and my concern is that they’ve just reverted back to the natural instinct which occurs,” says Mr Tooman. “Maybe having been in the country just a couple of days the adjustment had not been made.”
The Transport Agency says there were eight crashes in five years at the junction before lighting, visibility and slip roads were improved last December.
Since then there have been two deaths and the agency is looking at widening the road further, and installing a turning bay this summer.
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