Paramedics overlooked me - truckie

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LES BENNETT: "I felt I could've been lying in a ditch and they wouldn't have noticed me."

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A Taupo truck driver hurt in a crash involving three cars and his truck in Hawke's Bay is laying an official complaint with St John Ambulance, saying no ambulance staff approached him after the crash and he could have been "lying in a ditch" unnoticed.

Les Bennett, 28, said he was dazed and limping after the crash that left 12 people in hospital, but was not asked if he needed help.

St John staff said they had to focus on those with life-threatening injuries, and they twice trawled the area to make sure they had not missed any injured.

The crash happened on State Highway 2, just north of Otane, about 35km southwest of Hastings, at 5.15pm on Monday.

Three people remained in a serious condition in Hawke's Bay Hospital yesterday and four were listed as stable.

Five people from one family had been discharged: Chelsea Walker, 21, her partner Freedom Walker, 24, son Dontae Walker-McDonald, 4, Mr Walker's sister Cedayle Walker, 17, and nephew Whetu Wade, 11, who were returning to Shannon after a day in Hastings.

Mr Bennett said he was driving from Palmerston North to Napier to deliver bread and pies when a car in front of him crossed the centre line and crashed into an oncoming car, knocking it into his truck and then another car.

He said he suffered shock, whiplash and bruising and saw his doctor yesterday.

St John spokesman Stephen Smith said ambulance staff had twice gone around the crowd at the crash scene and had not found anyone needing help.

"Our [staff] delivered incredibly good care to critically injured patients. People were almost dying in front of them.

"One patient was described as dead by a bystander who rang us – it is testimony to the care they gave the critically injured people that we did not have fatalities."

Mr Smith said it was a very difficult situation given the number of people badly hurt and the number of onlookers.

Sometimes "walking wounded" could be expected to look after themselves if critically injured patients required urgent care.

"Every effort was made to treat everyone involved in the crash ... If we missed him, we're sorry, but we had to concentrate on the critically injured."

He said Mr Bennett could have approached ambulance staff or police for help, but did not.

Mr Bennett said he was convinced people were dead when he stepped out of his truck and saw "cars strewn everywhere".

He did not realise his trailer unit had sheared off the front of one of the cars, taking out its motor, until after the impact.

"It took the front clean off. Another two centimetres and it would have been very much worse – someone was looking after us."

He was eventually picked up by a work colleague and taken to Napier, then home to Taupo by another colleague.

He had phoned St John to complain. "I felt I could've been lying in a ditch and they wouldn't have noticed me. They've said sorry, but I'm making an official complaint."

Mr Bennett had spoken to the Walker family, and said both parties were very relieved there had not been deaths.

"They couldn't believe what happened either."

Waipukurau police said it would be some days before any decision on laying charges would be made.

- © Fairfax NZ News