The aftermath of the fatal crash in Taipa on Tuesday, June 21. Photo / Supplied
Police have released the names of four people killed in four separate crashes in Northland.
Troy Williams, 40, from Lake Ohia, died in a crash in Taipa on Tuesday, June 21.
The crash happened after the ute he was driving left the road, went across an island and hit a parked car.
The driver of the parked car, who was still in the vehicle, was moderately injured.
Shontal Ernest-Miri, 26, from Kaitāia, was killed in a crash near Clough Rd, Kaitāia, on June 23.
On her Facebook page, she described herself as a “mama to six boys, our angel baby and our baby girl”.
She frequently posted on community social media pages offering food and other items to people in need.
Ernest-Miri, who was driving a people mover, had been trapped in the crash and died while being extricated.
Four other people were seriously injured in the two-vehicle crash.
A head-on collision just two hours later in Ōkaihau resulted in the death of Kahi Brown, 48, of Ōkaihau.
A post on a marae Facebook page described him as a “beloved brother, father, uncle and most loved bro to many”.
Baden Brown, 64, of Auckland, was killed in the fourth crash of the week, on Saturday, June 25.
This was a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on State Highway 15/Mangakahia Rd, at Nukutawhiti.
“Police extend our deepest sympathy to all families and friends of the deceased,” a police spokesperson said.
“Inquiries into the circumstances of the crashes are ongoing.”
Northland road policing manager Inspector Anne-Marie Fitchett told the Advocate earlier this week speed was suspected in at least two of the crashes and no seatbelt was worn in another.
“We need to wear our seatbelts, we need to stick to the speed limits and drive to the conditions. If it’s wet, slow down.”
The deaths took Northland’s 2022 road toll to 16, compared with 20 at the same stage of 2021.