4
Super sad sight that....whats speed without control
Source: http://www.stuff.co....outh-of-Opotiki
A motorcycle crash southwest of Opotiki has left the rider with serious injuries and a bike dangling from a tree.
The crash, which happened at about 9.20 this morning, saw the motorcycle hit a ditch and then fly across a driveway before stopping in the branches of a tree next to State Highway Two at Kutarere, about 20 kilometres southwest of Opotiki.
Police confirmed the rider was in a serious condition and was taken to Whakatane hospital. Both police and ambulance attended the scene.
It is not yet clear whether speed or driver inattention were factors in the crash.
And police were also not sure whether the driver hit the tree himself or whether he managed to push himself free of the motorbike as it hurtled through the air.
Earlier reports that two cars were involved in the crash were incorrect. An Opotiki police spokeswoman said the motorbike was the only vehicle involved.
The motorcycle was cut out of the tree by a roading contractor who was nearby when the crash happened.
A woman driving from Tauranga to Opotiki just before 10am this morning said she saw a body face down on the road, and trucks parked around it, her partner said.
