Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/20/2086.asp

11/24/2007

New Zealand: Speed Camera Causes Fatal Car Crash
A mobile speed camera is blamed for causing a fatal car collision in New Zealand.

A mobile speed camera vehicle in New Zealand caused a three-car collision that killed one man and inflicted serious injuries on four others. An investigation is ongoing into the incident which took place on the SH1 north of Tirau last month.

Kylee Roycroft, 29, intended to turn into a farm located on the side of the road using a turning bay specifically designed to prevent accidents. When Roycroft arrived, however, the bay was blocked by a speed camera car busy issuing citations. While she waited to make a legal turn from the center of the road, her sedan was struck from behind, hurling it into oncoming traffic where it collided with another vehicle head-on. Roycroft's stepfather, Robert Frazer, 65, was a front-seat passenger and died at the scene. Roycroft and her three children are still recovering from their injuries.

Longview Trust Chairman Alex Baldwin, owner of the farm property, blasted the police for continuing to block the turning bay even after the fatal accident.

"What I'm saying is this: if the police car had not been in our layby, this accident would not have happened," Baldwin told the Waikato Times newspaper. "I provided this facility for our staff and hey presto, the police are there nabbing speeding vehicles."

Taupo Police will decide whether the police are liable for the actions of the Taupo Police speed camera vehicle.

Source: Camera van in smash probe (Waikato Times (New Zealand), 11/23/2007)

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