Students mourn the young life lost in crash

BY ALASTAIR STEWART

Paraparaumu College students are in mourning after a student was killed and five others injured in a horror car crash yesterday.

Tiana Law, 16, died when a four-wheel-drive she was in crashed on Maungakotukutuku Rd, off Valley Rd, in Paraparaumu at 9.15am.

Three other Paraparaumu College students suffered moderate injuries, while two former pupils were also injured, one seriously.

"Some of these youngsters are struggling to cope at the moment," principal Richard Campbell said.

"It comes as a real shock. You're working and all of a sudden the police come in and say one of our youngsters has died. It's like walking into a brick wall."

Police were still piecing together the details yesterday.

The 4WD vehicle lost control around a moderate right-hand bend, rolled and slid along the gravel road before coming to rest against a power pole. No other vehicles were involved.

Tiana had been thrown from the vehicle and was dead when emergency services arrived at the scene.

"It was a nasty crash," Emergency Medical Services doctor Chris Lane said.

A male, who was a former student, escaped from the car but collapsed metres away. He was flown by helicopter to Wellington Hospital with suspected serious head and spinal injuries.

The four others, who suffered minor to moderate injuries, including broken bones, cuts and bruises were all in shock, Mr Lane said. "The ones that were able to walk were some metres down the road walking round in circles really not comprehending what had happened."

Paraparaumu College brought in counsellors and set up grief zones for students.

Tiana was a year 12 student, a netballer and worked part-time as a cleaner at Paraparaumu Beach School.
Senior Sergeant Alasdair Macmillan said the girl's family was notified yesterday and the Police Serious Crash Unit was investigating the scene to determine the cause of the crash.

Along with police, fire and EMS, three frontline emergency ambulances and two intensive care paramedics attended, Wellington Free Ambulance team manager James McMeekin said.

"The service responded swiftly with a significant number of resources to the scene of the accident. The first paramedic arrived within minutes and the helicopter was deployed immediately."

Mr Lane does not believe excessive speed was a factor and said the driver would have likely lost control when turning the top-heavy 4WD.

It highlighted the need for advanced driver training for young motorists, he said.

"Raising the driving age isn't going to make a lot of difference to accident statistics ... The target really needs to be proper driver education so you can actually handle a car if you get into a skid and you know how to brake if you have to brake in an emergency.

"That practical experience is vital for young drivers."

- Kapiti Observer