Crimeline

19-year-old German driver charged – 18-year-old passenger critical
A 19-year-old German tourist has been charged with careless driving causing injury, and his 18-year-old German passenger is still in a critical condition in Dunedin Hospital after their vehicle smashed into a tree on the Glenorchy-Paradise Road at 9.20am on Saturday (22 November), Police say.

Sergeant Dylan Hannah-Jones says the two young male tourists were travelling at open road speed and as the road had changed from tarseal to gravel the driver allegedly lost control and hit a tree. The tree crushed the roof of the Nissan Note hatchback trapping the passenger inside, he says.

The passenger was flown to Dunedin Hospital by Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter in a critical condition.

Hannah-Jones says the driver has been remanded on bail to reappear in the Queenstown District Court on 12 December.

“Given that it’s a serious crash investigations are continuing,” Hannah-Jones says.

The Serious Crash Unit attended and completed a meticulous scene examination. The driver was also assessed medically for minor injuries.

“This was a really tragic situation,” Hannah-Jones says.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand Otago group manager Bobby Lamont the Queenstown Volunteer Fire Brigade attended the crash, and the Frankton Brigade was sent up in the Rescue Helicopter with cutting gear, but they weren’t required.

Beach Street store staffer and helper seriously assaulted
A staff member at a Beach Street store and a member of the public who went to their aid were both seriously assaulted just before 12.50pm on Sunday, 23 November. Constable Amanda Shute says Police received multiple calls about the serious assault in which a man had allegedly assaulted the staff member punching them in the head. A member of the public then intervened and was also allegedly punched in the head.

Police arrived to find the suspect had already decamped. A 43-year-old local man was later located by Police and arrested, charged with assaults with intent to injure, common assault and threatening to kill. The man was remanded in custody.

Alleged drink driver moving car for someone
A 21-year-old local woman allegedly blew 894mcg after allegedly moving her car from below her driveway for someone at 6.30pm on Tuesday, 25 November, Police say.

Otago Lakes Road Policing Sergeant Bruce Martin says the woman had allegedly been moving her car from below her driveway for someone when it partially went over the bank and almost down onto Frankton Road.

Police say she was stopped after reports of a vehicle “bottomed out on a driveway with its wheels spinning”. The woman will appear in the Queenstown District Court on 12 December.

Other drink driving (separate to a mass Queenstown Lakes Central Otago checkpoint operation which netted 12 Wakatipu drivers) -

A 26-year-old local woman allegedly blew 885mcg at 12.45am on Frankton Road on Sunday, 23 November. Court – 12 December.

A 37-year-old local man allegedly blew 600mcg at 12.14am on Friday, 21 November, on Kawarau Road after being observed allegedly weaving in his lane.

A 21-year-old local man allegedly blew 539mcg just before midnight on Ladies Mile last Wednesday, 19 November. Court 12 December.

Climbers rescued in Mount Cook tragedy
A Queenstown-based Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter and one from Dunedin responded just before 11.30pm on Monday, 24 November, to a climbing tragedy on Aoraki/Mount Cook, saving two uninjured climbers stranded at 3718.5m, around 30.4m below the summit, after two other climbers with them fell.

Police say the group were climbing to the summit from Empress Hut about 10.45pm when two members fell from a ridge onto the west side of the mountain.

A spokesman for Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre says they received an emergency notification just before 11pm. “Members of a four-person climbing party were requiring urgent assistance with two of the party being seen to fall by the others,” the spokesperson says. “Following the activation, efforts focused on organising and preparing teams for what was expected to be a highly technical rescue in extremely challenging terrain,” he says. The two climbers were successfully airlifted off the mountain uninjured at about 2am on Tuesday.

Helicopters Otago’s Kevin Gale says conditions were good at the time and night vision goggles on the two helicopters made it easy to see at night. The Dunedin helicopter pilot took the two uninjured climbers to the Mount Cook DOC headquarters then both pilots continued searching throughout the night. Queenstown pilot Justin Gloag finally located the two missing climbers who’d fallen.

Police say the two missing men, one from the United States, were located about 7am on Tuesday, 25 November, and their bodies were recovered around midday.

The group was made up of two New Zealand guides and two clients.

The Rescue Helicopter also flew a patient in a serious condition to Dunedin Hospital just after 6pm on Sunday, 23 November, after a crash on the Te Anau-Milford Highway and St John Ambulance staff also attended to a patient with minor injuries after an accident at Morven Ferry Road, near Arrow Junction at 1pm on Saturday, 22 November. The patient was treated at the scene.