Wednesday, November 28, 2012

NEW ZEALAND - Filthy Few member killed in crash

OFF THE WIRE
The Tauranga motorcyclist killed in the Lindis Pass on Monday was Dennis Michael Pedersen, also known as Deano.

The 54-year-old member of the Filthy Few Motorcycle Club was killed when the motorcycle he was riding crashed on State Highway 8 in the South Island yesterday.

Filthy Few Motorcycle Club members gathering outside the club’s pad on Birch Avenue on August 10, 2011, as they prepared to bury fellow club member Louis Gary-Morgan who was killed in a crash.

A second motorcyclist also died in the crash. He was 43-year-old Grant John Roberts of Timaru.

A 26-year-old Timaru woman pillion passenger was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital by the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter. She was in a critical condition last night.

The crash was between a south-bound Nissan and two oncoming motorcycles, at 2.16pm on the pass near Goodger Rd about 20km north of Tarras.

A second woman, the sole occupant of the Nissan car, is in a stable condition in hospital.

Police have charged a 20-year-old visiting Chinese national with two counts of careless driving causing death relating to this crash. Other charges are likely to follow.

The woman is likely to appear in the Alexandra District Court later today.

The riders were part of a group of riders returning from attending the Burt Munro Challenge at Oreti Park, Invercargill.

Southland Police say they still want witnesses to come forward regarding the driving behaviour of both groups prior to the crash.

“We are particularly interested in movements of a dark coloured Nissan sedan with a single female occupant traveling south from Omarama towards Cromwell between midday and 2.15pm yesterday,” says Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk.

“We believe that this vehicle was following a white station wagon a short time before the crash occurred. We would like the driver of that white station wagon to contact police.

“We would also appreciate any witnesses who saw a group of 8-10 motorcyclists on large Harley Davidson motorcycles traveling from Cromwell towards Omarama yesterday afternoon around the same time.”

Cromwell Police have had several people contact them today with information and that is appreciated.

Alcohol is not suspected to be a factor in the crash.

Police staff, including the Police Serious Crash Unit, are continuing to work on the investigation.


http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/35448-filthy-few-member-killed-crash.html