Officials defend response to fatal motorway crash after drivers trapped for hours

Authorities are standing by their handling of a fatal crash on a busy Wellington motorway that led to motorists being stuck in gridlocked traffic for hours last night. 

Emergency services were called to the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway about 4.40pm after a collision in the southbound lanes between the Tawa-Grenada North on-ramp and the Churton Park-Glenside off-ramp. 

They confirmed this morning that one of two people badly injured in the crash had died. 

Motorists were advised to avoid travelling if possible, with delays expected to continue as emergency responders remained on the scene. 

Traffic was heavily backed up along the motorway, with congestion stretching from Porirua to Glenside. 

Motorists were advised to expect delays on SH1 north of Wellington following a serious crash. Photo / Google 

Some motorists abandoned their vehicles and left the area on foot. 

A driver who had been stuck in traffic for more than three hours told RNZ “people seem to be panicking and trying to drive up the shoulder”. 

“They are trying to cut each other off. Seems pointless because no one is moving.” 

Another said she’d seen more than 20 people, including some with toddlers, walk along the motorway and cross the median barrier into oncoming traffic. 

“Having to cross across oncoming traffic ... traffic is still moving on the northbound side - people [are] having to cross with kids in order to get off the motorway,” she said. 

Others caught up in the situation spoke to the Herald today. 

One woman was on her way to Wellington Airport to catch a flight to Christchurch when she got caught up in the aftermath of the crash. 

She said she spent almost six hours stuck on the motorway. 

“We were about 50m past the Kenepuru off-ramp when the cars in front of us had all stopped and I thought ‘oh no’,” she told the Herald. 

“So, we sat in that traffic for four and a half hours until we could get off the Tawa off-ramp and then turn around and come home. 

“In the meantime, I missed my flight - it was hopeless.” 

Police are defending the way they managed the road closure and traffic after the incident. Photo / File 

The woman had to book new flights and said the airline gave her a refund this morning so she was not out of pocket. 

She appreciated that the crash was serious and emergency services had to do their work at the scene but she questioned how the traffic was managed. 

“I know they were probably under the pump, but was really frustrating because the accident happened at 4.40pm and we went through at 5.20pm and if we had known, we wouldn’t have even come into Wellington,” said the woman, who lives in Kapiti. 

“We would have just turned around and gone home and it would have saved us a lot of stress. 

“It was a disaster. I don’t know if they could have done it better ...” 

Another motorist said she “thought Auckland was bad” for traffic but Wellington “seems unable to manage a major incident”. 

“[We] spent five hours travelling back from golf in Kapiti to Wellington central,” she said. 

“Sorry for the accident and injuries but life must go on. [It was] shocking to see the abandoned cars and was like a zombie movie.” 

Police and NZTA bosses stood by the way the scene and traffic were managed. 

“Police understand it can be frustrating for motorists when the road is closed and there are delays, and in cases where the road may be closed for some time we work to ensure the public are notified as early as possible,” said Senior Sergeant Mark Scott. 

“We also want the roads to open as soon as possible so motorists can get to their destination, and in some cases where able diversions or traffic management is put in place to ensure this happens. 

“However, the road is closed to ensure the scene is safe for everyone in attendance. This includes those involved in the crash, witnesses and emergency services.” 

Scott said police had a duty to “thoroughly investigate” fatal crashes for victims, famiies and the Coroner. 

“We must gather as much evidence as we can, to ensure we are able to put someone before the courts if there is any culpability,” he explained. 

“We also make sure the road is cleared of any debris, spills, or note any damage that needs to be fixed, to ensure another crash doesn’t occur.” 

NZTA Wellington transport alliance manager Roxanne Hilliard said the agency’s thoughts were with the family and friends of the person killed and the injured motorist. 

“We understand that it is frustrating and inconvenient for motorists when a road is closed and there are lengthy delays following a crash,” she told the Herald. 

“We ask people to understand that these closures are necessary to ensure that the crash scene is safe for police and emergency services to attend and provide assistance to the victims. 

“Police are also required to thoroughly investigate serious crashes and gather evidence.” 

Hilliard said NZTA advised motorists of yesterday’s crash and the resulting delays through its social media channels, traffic bulletins provided to media, and via roadside signs. 

“Diversions were put in place as quickly as possible following the crash,” she explained. 

“The road was reopened as soon as police had completed gathering evidence, debris was cleared and damage to the road was repaired.”