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Police investigate fatal crash

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Police investigate fatal crash

3News NZ

The crash in Auckland killed a mother of four

The crash in Auckland killed a mother of four

Three separate investigations are underway after yesterday's fatal crash involving a police car in Auckland.

Mother of four Liku Onesi died when the vehicle her husband was driving collided with a police car which was on its way to an emergency call in Manukau.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority, the police and the coroner are all investigating the incident and Police Association president Greg O'Connor says the police sergeant involved in the crash will know in the next few days if he is to face disciplinary action.

“Decisions will be made around what happens with the officer as part of the inquiry, obvious there is a very intense enquiry taking place so he’ll be required to be heavily involved in that- long term decisions will be made over the next few days,” says Mr O’Connor.

“Police are permitted to travel in excess of the speed limit, if indeed he was travelling in excess of the speed limit, it’s a balance between ensuring the safety of other road users and the need to be where police need to be.”

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24/08/2012 1:44:10 p.m.

mary smith wrote:

prime example of SPEED KILLS!!

24/08/2012 12:47:29 p.m.

Gary wrote:

BART That chip is so big it probably obstructs your view when driving! You should try and get it removed for your own safety! So in your opinion because they should know better that is a good enough excuse for a Police car to smash into them! If they were reversing out, driving in, car stalled, another car giving way blocking their view, absolutely their fault what ever the reason was? Is that what you are saying Mr Chips??

24/08/2012 8:51:24 a.m.

Bart wrote:

@ Gary, ignorance is no excuse for poor driving standards. Reversing out into a busy intersection is just pure stupidity no matter how you look at it. Seeing as they have been in and out of that driveway literally 100's of times they should know better!!! Reversing out/turning in, either way the law is still clear on who has right of way!!!! I've not had a major accident in the 15+ years of driving although I have had to take lots of avoidance action to miss idiots like this driver and the likes of you who obviously believe the road rules are there to be ignored. No body has the right to hit you but if you weren't in the wrong place at the wrong time he would never have been hit and nobody would be dead period. No chip on my shoulder, just live in the real world but I guess ignorance is bliss

23/08/2012 10:31:33 p.m.

Gary wrote:

Bart as well as a scar I think it left a huge chip on your shoulder also! DAN you must have all the facts as I have read two conflicting stories? 1.He was reversing out and 2.He was Driving in? As a highly trained professional driver you would have to say the cop failed in his job? People cut you off and do stupid things all the time or just make an error of judgement or lack of concentration. I am not a highly trained professional driver but I always manage to avoid such problems? If you just take the veiw that because you should give way to a Police car any time you make an error the Police car has every right to smash into you and it is your fault if you die?? Plus you will be charged?? What a ludicrous ridiculous point of veiw! I think you sir are deluded.

23/08/2012 7:10:05 p.m.

Bart wrote:

@ Gary, Nope not a cop, not even a big fan of that revenue gathering department however, Yes the cop was possibly speeding, regardless the Pajero is required by law to give way as it was turning across traffic (forget that it's a police car at this point). So if it had just been another car that hit the Pajero would the result have been any different? Considering the passenger was thrown from the Pajero it clearly indicates she probably wasn't wearing a seat belt. As hard is it may be to hear, she would probably have sustained serious if not lethal injuries if the cop car was travelling at any speed at all. The fact is that I see drivers blatantly ignore give way rules on a daily basis. We have had 2 accidents at work exactly the same circumstances as this case except the other vehicle wasn't a police vehicle as well as many near misses because cars turned across traffic and failed to give way. I've been hit by a car (when on a bike) and gone across the bonnet into the windscreen because a driver wasn't paying attention and failed to give way so I have genuine understanding of the result of not following basic road rules (and still suffer from that accident and will for the rest of my life). Driving standards in this country are very poor and it starts with following simple road rules such as the give way rules and not running bloody red lights.

23/08/2012 5:53:05 p.m.

Dan wrote:

Gary in order to pin this completely on the officer you have to establish two things. 1) The officer was driving in such a way as to put the public in danger. 2) The person backing out of the driveway took due care at all times. On the facts this just cannot be the case. As Bart has pointed out we must give way to emergency vehicles, we must give way to traffic going straight through if we are entering onto a street and finally we must certainly give way to cars on the road if we are backing out of a driveway. Charge the driver of the Pajero not the cop. If you think facts and reason are propaganda then you are deluded.

23/08/2012 5:30:18 p.m.

the H word wrote:

The police's attitude to road safety can be summed up as issuing tickets to the public for going 4kph over the limit while they drive like maniacs.

23/08/2012 5:22:00 p.m.

Gary wrote:

@MARTY well some one has to since the Police are keeping it secret. WHY?? You telling me that a highly trained police driver could not avoid hitting another car if he is going at regular speeds??

23/08/2012 4:32:55 p.m.

Max wrote:

I totally agree with you Jono, the police need to have a speed limit and they need to be, more aware of the public insight. Instead of driving at speeds that are uncontrollable with all guns blazing. This is not a first many have died under the uncontrollable speeds of the police, in this case their is no room for the blame syndrome to kick in. Obviously it is clear as mud, who should be taking the wrap for this life. Taken so soon and four kids are left motherless.

23/08/2012 3:43:37 p.m.

Marty wrote:

Amazing how people can come up with a speed of a police car. Also amazing how people can slag off the police except when they are the victim they want instant response. Next there will be a committee set up to review slow police response times.