Serious spinal injuries after paragliding accident

A 31-year-old New Zealand woman is in a stable condition and being admitted to Burwood Hospital’s spinal unit in Christchurch after suffering serious spinal injuries in a tandem paragliding crash off Coronet Peak late on Sunday morning.

Sergeant Simon Matheson says the woman, currently living elsewhere in Otago, crashed shortly after take-off and was flown to Christchurch Hospital where she was being assessed before transferring to Burwood Hospital for further treatment.

The accident happened at 11.45am and the tandem pilot was not injured.

A Hato Hone St John spokesman confirmed they responded to the accident with a Dunedin-based Otago Southland Rescue helicopter and the patient was assessed then initially airlifted to Dunedin Hospital.

Police and the Civil Aviation Authority are investigating, and CAA was unable to comment at this stage.

Sky Trek Tandem Hang Gliding and Paragliding CEO Shai Lanuel says he too was unable to comment while those investigations were underway.

However, the Civil Aviation Authority has been informed and the company is co-operating fully with relevant authorities and Police.

Sky Trek is also carrying out an internal investigation into the incident.

The company offered its full support to the passenger and those travelling with them and continues to do so, he says.

Lanuel says their thoughts are with the passenger who sustained injuries and their travel companions.

The company is not in a position to identify the passenger or comment on injuries, he says.

“No further information is available as the incident is still subject to investigation.”

No other details about how the accident unfolded or its exact location could be obtained today (Wednesday, 24 July).

Crimeline 

Ten times the legal limit!

A 45-year-old driver who crashed on the Clyde – Cromwell Road at about 5pm on Friday, 19 July, allegedly blew an excess breath alcohol level of 2094mcgs, nearly 10 times the legal limit, shocking Police.

“This is an extremely high reading,” Matheson says. Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved, and no injuries were sustained.

Senior Sergeant Karl Hemmingsen, Otago Coastal Road Policing Manager, says it was “absurd and dangerous”. “We’re glad this didn’t result in more serious consequences.”

Then on Sunday, 21 July, Matheson says a 20-year-old Central Otago driver was stopped on Shotover Street, just after midday, blowing 1062mcgs, over four times the 250mcg limit. Four other occupants were in the vehicle.

Police are urging the public to call 105 if they see unsafe driving and 111 if it’s very dangerous and there’s a risk of harm.

A 28-year-old local man allegedly blew 442mcgs and was charged with drink driving after he was stopped at a Robins Road checkpoint 8:14pm on Wednesday, 17 July.

‘Deer’ you to go first

Police are investigating after a bit of apparent off-road road rage as two carloads of overseas tourists were driving into Deer Park Heights at 4pm Saturday, 19 July.

Visitors from Asia were driving into Deer Park Heights and a second car carrying other foreign nationals from an unknown country were following, Matheson says.

“The following car attempted to follow through first without paying at the toll gate. An argument ensued and the occupants of the second vehicle assaulted the driver of the first.”

No charges have been laid and Police inquiries are continuing.

Credit card windscreen scrapers

Police are urging the late ones to set off for work earlier or face a decent fine if caught peering through a tiny frost-scraped gap in their windscreen.

The credit card no longer cuts it – only to pay the fine, with drivers now prosecuted for driving without properly defrosting their windscreen.

A 30-year-old local man crashed into a traffic island on Frankton Road at 9.33pm on Thursday, 18 July, as he had not waited until his windscreen was fully defrosted, Matheson says.

“We often see people driving with tiny pill boxes scraped in their frosty windscreens and people need to realise that’s illegal,” he says. “They need to set off a bit earlier and sit in their car for a few extra minutes to let that frost thaw before driving.”

High number of winter accidents

Police are also concerned about the high number of vehicle accidents due to winter weather and road conditions, like ice and grit, particularly with larger numbers of people moving through the region.

Matheson says these are spread across the area geographically and occur at all times of the day and night, involving local, national and foreign drivers.

On Tuesday, 23 July, at 3pm, a 64-year-old Queenstown driver crossed the centre line on the Kawarau Gorge and crashed into a paddock. Police are investigating the cause of the incident.

Last Thursday, 18 July, a 28-year-old Queenstown woman, who was driving at an appropriate speed, hit black ice on the Glenorchy Road and overturned her vehicle a 8.50am. A 52-year-old Southland man also crossed the centreline and crashed near the Kawarau Bungy Bridge at 6.36am on 18 July.

Other incidents

There’s been the usual seasonal increase in street disorder downtown at night with a 22-year-old Central Otago man charged with assault with intent to injure after he allegedly assaulted another male outside Night & Day at 2.35am on Sunday, 21 July.

Three local petrol stations had drivers drive off this past week owing between $50 and $207, and Police are investigating, although Matheson says sometimes self-serve pumps haven’t been used correctly.

Police are warning skiers and snowboarders to secure their gear and ensure they pick up the right gear after over $3000 worth of ski gear was taken from a rack at Coronet Peak and an $1100 snowboard from a rack at The Remarkables. Inquiries are continuing.