Crimeline: Police concerns – Extremely high drink driving levels
Police concerns – Extremely high drink driving levels
Police are extremely concerned to have netted two alleged drink drivers recording over 1000mcg, one over 1300mcg, when breath tested around Queenstown this past week, another two allegedly blowing over 800mcg in Central Otago.
A 21-year-old Central Otago man was charged with driving with an excess breath alcohol level and operating a vehicle carelessly after allegedly rolling a vehicle off an elevated road into a driveway just before 11pm on Tuesday, 1 September. Constable Amanda Shute says the crash happened on McChesney Road, Arthur’s Point, and the vehicle had rolled landing on its wheels. Thankfully, the occupants of the vehicle weren’t injured.
The man had his licence suspended for 28 days and will appear in court on Monday, 7 September.
Shute says a 44-year-old Clutha woman was also charged after allegedly blowing 1030mcg when Police were called to the Ballarat Street car park at 5.40pm on Friday, 28 August. She says Police had received reports of “an (allegedly) intoxicated driver driving erratically in the car park”.
Otago Lakes Road Policing Manager Senior Sergeant Clint Wright says any drink driving is appalling and to see such high levels coming through is “really concerning”.
The two Central Otago drivers had been breath tested in rural areas. “We often see more fatalities and a lot of serious injuries in rural areas, which is just horrible. It’s extremely concerning to see people pushing the limits or making ridiculously poor decisions and getting behind the wheel,” Wright says. “It’s quite distressing to see that people are still giving it a crack, and they can face the judge.
“Sadly, on these occasions it’s often not the first time they’ve been apprehended so people just aren’t learning the lessons,” he says.
Have a ‘Go Bag’ – Another big rain on the way
Volunteer Fire Brigades around the Wakatipu are bracing themselves for a potential influx of callouts again with yet another deluge of heavy rain forecast to hit the Wakatipu overnight tonight (Thursday, 3 September) dumping as much as 50mm of rain in six to nine hours in parts of the basin.
NIWA data shows that Queenstown normally receives 62mm of rain during September while Wanaka receives 50mm. August is similar with both towns normally receiving 53mm for the whole month.
Fire and Emergency Otago Lakes Group assistant commander Nic McQuillan is urging people to be ready for these type of weather events with a ‘Go Bag’ packed and a plan as to where they can safely evacuate to in the event of an emergency.
Volunteers from the Queenstown, Frankton and Arrowtown brigades turned out in force during last Thursday night’s deluge of heavy rain to help evacuate residents after slips and flooding, the most severe in Fernhill and Bowen Street.
“If you have to evacuate know where you can go, maybe to friends’ nearby, and be prepared,” McQuillan says. “These weather events are becoming more severe each time and having a bigger impact. It’s best that people have their own plan in place rather than relying on Civil Defence to do it for them. “Have a plan as to where you should go. Be prepared.”
Tonight’s rain which is set to start at the head of Lake Wakatipu around 9pm is likely to be more intense around that area but also set to spill some decent falls over the Queenstown area with MetService forecasters predicting anything from 20mm in a short period here too. No heavy rain warning had been issued late yesterday (Wednesday, 2 September), but MetService expert meteorologist Mark Todd says that may be upgraded today (Thursday, 3 September).
McQuillan says it’s important to be prepared heading into spring with higher winds, more rain and generally wetter weather forecast. “At the moment we’re tracking similar to last spring for weather.”
A wet spring usually means good growth but that was a concern with a dry January and February predicted around the district as that would fuel the fire risk.
Spring is here - Watch for wet slide avalanches
Local search and rescue experts are reiterating calls for caution around avalanche risk and changing weather conditions in the backcountry and mountains with a wet, windy spring predicted. Wakatipu Alpine Cliff Rescue Team coordinator Russ Tilsley says as the temperatures warm up there’s more intense solar radiation on the northerly aspects prompting more wet, slide-type avalanches. “During the day there’s more sun on those northern areas which can trigger those wet, loose snow avalanches.”
Tilsley says people need to know their stuff, check the conditions thoroughly and be well equipped with good communications before heading into the hills.
“Those little avalanches don’t need to be big to pull someone off a small cliff.”
Campervan rolls – Three injured, one serious
A 25-year-old overseas driver has been charged with careless vehicle operation causing injury after a person was seriously injured when a campervan overturned on the Gibbston Highway, near Roaring Meg, just before 7.30am on Tuesday (1 September), Constable Amanda Shute says.
Three people were injured in the crash and a St John Ambulance spokesperson says all three – one serious, one with moderate injuries and one with minor injuries, were flown to Dunedin Hospital.
Two Otago Southland Rescue Helicopters, two ambulances and two operations managers responded to the incident.
“Our ambulance crews assessed and treated three people and transported them to Dunedin Public Hospital by helicopter.”
Seriously injured skiers airlifted to Dunedin
A seriously injured skier was airlifted by rescue helicopter to Dunedin Hospital from Treble Cone late on Monday morning, 31 August, after an accident, St John says. A Police spokesperson says they were first advised of a potential injured skier at 11.40am. “It was reported the skier had possibly gone over a cliff,” the spokesperson says. “The skier was located and attended to.”
A St John spokesperson says the following morning at 11.17am, Tuesday, 1 September, a patient was airlifted from Cardrona Ski Area to Dunedin Hospital in a serious condition after an accident.
The rescue helicopter also flew a person with moderate injuries from the Hector Range above Kingston to Southland Hospitallate on Saturday morning, 29 August, after a call for help mid-morning, St John says.
