A woman was trapped under her dead horse this afternoon.
The woman was part of a group of three riders on the Wainuiomata South Coast when her horse suffered a seizure, falling to the ground and trapping her underneath. She was knocked unconscious in the fall, and her helmet was heavily damaged.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called and she was conscious but groggy by the time the helicopter had arrived upon which she was flown to Wellington Hospital to be placed under supervision.
This was an ugly accident on a busy intersection in Winter, even though it was a fine day.
No doubt new road improvements at this intersection at Petone will hopefully protect cycle accidents in this area. The issue around access to SH2 both on and off should be alleviated by this new entrance, thank god. The real issue is around cyclist protection on NZ roads, and the current disrespect that the major of motorists have toward them.
This incident continues to affect all those involved.
A truck driver who ran over and killed a senior Wellington police officer has been ordered to pay $2000 emotional reparation and disqualified from driving for nine months.
Steve Fitzgerald, a 41-year police veteran and former head of the road policing unit, was cycling home from work when he went under the wheels of an articulated truck at the roundabout intersection of The Esplanade and Hutt Rd in Petone in June 2008.
The driver, Desmond Wilson, 46, had pleaded not guilty to a charge of careless driving causing death.
However he was found to be at fault in a ruling issued last month.
via Stuff
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called to Whiteman’s Valley Upper Hutt last night at 7:30pm 19 Nov 09.
A 9yr old boy had fallen while playing on the trampoline at home and had suffered head and neck injuries.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter responded to the location with a Wellington Free Paramedic onboard. A Wellington Free Ambulance was already at the location and had immobilised the patient ready for the flight.
The boy was flown back to the Wellington Hospital Emergency Department where he is being treated for his injuries and is in a stable condition
As you may, or may not be aware last Wednesday at Bar Bodega in Wellington the New Zealand finals for the Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) were held.
A local hard rock band called Alphashift composed of four members from Lower Hutt took out first place and are now preparing to take on the Aussies in the Australasian finals in Sydney next week, November 27th.
We wish Dene Patton, Fred Glover, Innes Hutchison, Trevor Molloy all the best as they go for the goal of winning the Global Battle of the Bands .
The final is played in London and has a $100,000 grand prize.
A dramatic police chase occurred in the Hutt Valley last night, ended with a man being taken into custody.
The car chase happened after the man failing a road-side breath test and speed off, he was chased by up to seven police cars at one stage.
He was eventually stopped after police laid road spikes and officers had to smash the car windows to remove the man from his vehicle.
The man now faces charges of drink driving and failing to stop.
Police have found a car stolen in an Avalon home invasion and aggravated robbery on Saturday morning.
The blue BMW was recovered in Lower Hutt, two days after four men forced their way into and took the vehicle’s keys from occupants of a house on Charleston Avenue, Avalon.
Police appealed for anyone who had seen the BMW, registration ZX9069, on the roads over the past few days to contact them.
Police still are not ruling out the robbers were the same ones who staged a home invasion last Wednesday, in Stokes Valley in which a man was shot in the leg and a woman repeatedly bashed with a shotgun butt.
Police have urged Hutt Valley residents to be security conscious, telling them to lock their doors and report any suspicious behaviour following these two attacks.
From Police website
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt Residents Evacuated From Inferno
Part of a Lower Hutt residential street remains cordoned off today while Fire and Police investigators attempt to determine the cause of a large blaze that has destroyed or extensively damaged 6 addresses.
An unoccupied address under construction in Cornwall Street was discovered well alight by a passing Police patrol at about 1.30 am this morning.
Numerous fire appliances struggled to contain the fire that was fanned by strong and blusterous winds. Before the fire was controlled 4 neighbouring addresses were extensively damaged with others suffering smoke damage.
Detective Sergeant Mike Sears of the Lower Hutt CIB said “This was an incredibly dangerous situation. Emergency staff, assisted by members of the public, did an outstanding job evacuating all those exposed to risk despite the obvious risks to their own safety. It is amazing that no-one was physically harmed.”
Given the extent of the damage it will take some time before we are in a position to determine the cause of the fire. At this stage we are simply not in a position to say if it was deliberately lit or not.
Despite this we urgently need to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time, regardless of whether they think they saw anything suspicious or not.” Please call the Lower Hutt Police on 5602600.
Mike Sears
Detective Sergeant
Lower Hutt CIB
Full photos and article courtesy of Hutt Valley Fire Police Unit from the night of the incident.
There was a large fire in the early morning at a house in central Lower Hutt.
The house where the fire started was completely destroyed and six neighbouring houses were damaged.
At this stage the fire is being treated as suspicious.
Full photos and article courtesy of Hutt Valley Fire Police Unit
Early this morning saw the second home invasion in the Hutt Valley. Whilst not on the level of the Stokes Valley attack it is rather worrying that the nature of these attacks is increasing. Two things spring to mind economic hardship and drugs
Three people, including an elderly woman, were upset, but physically unharmed, after four men forced their way into their Lower Hutt home early today.
Lower Hutt police said the woman, in her nineties, and another adult couple were awoken by the four men forcing the front door of the Charleston Avenue, Avalon, home.
“The males made a hasty search before leaving with some property and the victims’ BMW motor vehicle,” said Detective Sergeant Mike Sears of Lower Hutt CIB.
“The victims are obviously very upset, but thankfully received no physical injuries.
“We are still investigating the motive for this crime.”
via Stuff
Police are trying to establish if there are any links between this and the Stokes Valley incident, and need help to locate the four young men.
Keep your eyes out for the stolen car, a blue BMW, registration ZX9069.
More indepth detail in this Herald report has emerged (Sunday) and Police now believe of the posssibility that a gang of assilants is operating in the Hutt Valley.
Well I have been aware of this publication “Flying Pickle” for some time, and felt it appropriate to bring it to the attention of residents in the Korokoro, Maungaraki and Normandale Community who were not aware of it, hard not to be as the newsletter ends up in your letterbox.
Unlike my personal rantings on this site about the Hutt Valley it truly is a suburbs community website with the ability of the local residents opinion to be expressed without prejudice. Have a look if your interested in the concerns of this area.
From the site itself:
Flying Pickle is a free community website for suburbs of Korokoro, Maungaraki and Normandale. Our goal is to bring the community together in an open and democratic environment where people can exchange views, news, opinions, advertise their businesses in a friendly and non-intrusive manner as well as find help and support from others.
Online edition – free and open
FlyingPickle.co.nz is where it’s at for people and businesses in Western Hills.
Everyone is invited to post news, views, opinions, whatever you want to share with people around you. The website is completely free, including advertising content. Come, tell us about your business. We want to shop local!Print edition – free for local readers
The best of the online content is sent out in the Flying Pickle Print Edition, regularly delivered free to every household around Korokoro, Maungaraki and Normandale. The publication is non-profit and has no more than 1/3 of its space taken by advertising and classifieds to cover the cost.
Give it a go
If you’re in a pickle about something around town, let the community know. We want YOU to get online, spill your beans, and help spread the word on what’s happening in the neighbourhood.
It’s a great place to advertise your Hutt Business too if it applies as a fair percentage of the Lower Hutt City populace lives on them their hills. Go give them a visit.
Dont forget the Days Bay blog of local happenings in Eastbourne as well.
huttnz.co.nz 