A teenage mountain-biker who crashed into a ute in Upper Hutt last week has died after his life support was switched off.
The 14-year-old St Patrick's College, Silverstream, student, Zelius Venter, crashed on his mountain-bike into the side of a ute on Thursday. Family had been waiting for relatives overseas to arrive home before deciding whether to switch off his life support late yesterday, Fairfax Media reported.
The teenager suffered serious head and chest injuries in the accident and was flown to Wellington Hospital in a critical condition.
The driver of the ute, a 53-year-old from Upper Hutt, told police he had caught a glimpse of a mountain-biker hurtling down a track moments before the impact.
"He tried to swerve to avoid him, but the cyclist struck him in the side of the vehicle," Detective Sergeant Dean Simpson said.
Hutt Valley area commander Inspector Mike Hill said the area was used by mountain-bikers, as well as off-road vehicles and logging trucks. Zelius and the driver were heading in the same direction but met at a Y intersection.
It was a "horrible, tragic" event where "moments either side" could have made a difference, he said.
No charges have been laid but police investigations are continuing.
Zelius was a competitive mountain-biker, winning an under-15 race earlier this year.
NZN