Motorist dies in Mauriceville crash | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

A Masterton man has died after his car struck a roadside bank near Mauriceville within 200m of his destination on Saturday.

The man, in his early 40s, died late yesterday afternoon in the intensive care unit at Wellington Hospital, spokesman Michael Toll said last night.

It is understood the man was on life support at the unit when he died after being flown to the capital on Saturday from Palmerston North Hospital, to where he had been at first airlifted.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter crewman Logan Taylor said the crisis flight service was called to the crash on Opaki-Kaiparoro Road at 3.45pm with two Wellington Free Paramedics on board.

"On our arrival we found Wairarapa ambulance and fire brigade staff treating a critically injured patient.

"The patient was the driver of the vehicle," Mr Taylor said.

A passenger in the vehicle escaped without injury, he said.

Mauriceville Rural Fire Force controller Bob Taplin said last night the crash happened near the home of a volunteer firefighter, who was one of the first rescuers to the scene.

Two volunteer fire crews from Masterton and one from Eketahuna also attended the scene and the road was closed for four hours while a police Serious Crash Unit examined the site, Mr Taplin said. Mr Taplin said the weather was fine and visibility was clear when firefighters arrived.

Mauriceville volunteer firefighter Dave Cameron said the crash happened only minutes from his home and when he arrived the driver was unconscious and had been placed by his passenger in a recovery position near the wreckage of the car.

"The passenger was completely uninjured, not a scratch, but the driver was in a bad way."

Mr Cameron said the driver and his passenger had been heading to the Mauriceville home of their friend, who lived only 200m down the road and was first to the crash scene.

Airbags had been deployed in the vehicle and both the driver and passenger seemed to have been wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash, he said.