The Star
Thursday August 3 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Motorist’s second close call By Andrew King THE MOTORIST who miraculously escaped death when his vehicle rolled more than 500m down a Banks Peninsula hillside is no stranger to near misses. Luke Wigram walked away from the wreck with broken ribs fingers and bruising. “The last thing I remember is being violently thrown around. I expected to die when the car left the road,” he told The Star yesterday. In 1994, Mr Wigram was a student at Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth. On April 27, his class visited Cave Creek in the Paparoa National Park, and walked onto the platform which would collapse when another class visited the following day, killing 13 students and a Department of Conservation field officer. Said Mr Wigram yesterday: “I remember one of my fellow classmates saying I don’t think it should be shaking like this.” Now Mr Wigram, 39, is counting his lucky stars again. He was driving on Summit Rd in his Ford Focus station wagon, near Little Akaloa, on Friday, when
‘The last thing I remember is being violently thrown around. I expected to die when the car left the road.’ – Luke Wigram
“If I have a guardian angel, it is probably taking a well-deserved break now.” Mr Wigram was discharged from hospital on Tuesday. Senior Constable Tim Johnson said he had never seen a crash like it result in the driver walking away alive. “About 450m off the side of the road was the engine, a further 50m were a couple of wheels wedged into a fence and about 100m down from that was what was left of the car,” he said. “He is incredibly lucky.” •Dangerous intersections, p9
RESCUE: Luke Wigram was airlifted to hospital with broken ribs and fingers and a big gash on his forehead.
hail started to fall on light snow on the road. The vehicle slid off the road and started to roll down the hill. All he could do was concentrate on keeping his limbs inside the vehicle, said Mr Wigram. Then he lost consciousness. When he came to, he climbed out of the badly mangled vehicle, sore, but incredibly lucky. He found his cellphone in his pocket and dialled 111.
Said Mr Wigram: “I just stayed on the line with the dispatcher who kept me going. Asking me questions about what injuries I had, could I hear sirens, that sort of thing.” He was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. “There was a general surprise that I could survive the roll down the bank and have few injuries,” he said.
Follow us on Facebook @Dream Doors Christchurch for design inspiration
Amazing Kitchen Facelifts! • Replacement doors • Drawer fronts • panels & bench tops • or a complete brand new kitchen, all made to measure.
Ph 03 338 1081 adrian@dreamdoors.co.nz
Christchurch Casino Golden Oldies Sports Celebration 1 - 29 April, 2018
5
Decision whether to charge coach may be made tomorrow By Gabrielle Stuart POLICE MAY decide tomorrow if charges will be laid over alleged abuse of a young rugby player by a coach from another team. West Melton under-14.5s coach Amanda Tomlinson has been accused of verbally and physically abusing a Lincoln player after a match early last month. The altercation happened after an incident between the boy and a West Melton player during the match. The Canterbury Rugby Football Union began an investigation last month, but that was put on hold after the police became involved. Senior Sergeant Peter Stills told The Star witnesses were still being interviewed, but a decision about the next step in the case was likely to be made by the end of the week. Tomlinson told The Star last month she grabbed the boy by the collar “so he would look me in the eye,” after he kicked a player from her team in the mouth. CRFU chief executive Nathan Godfrey said the investigation into Tomlinson’s behaviour was on hold, but the incident between the players during the match may be separately investigated.
WINDOWS 10 OPTIONS
ON ALL EX LEASE COMPUTERS i3 Desktop Cyclone
i5 Desktop Cyclone
20’’ screen, Ex Lease • i3 Intel CPU • 4GB RAM • 500GB Hard Drive • Desktop case • Keyboard & Mouse corded • Windows 10 option • DVD writer • 20” screen • 6 Months Warranty • Ex Lease
HP 430 Pentium 1.7Ghz Slim Laptop, Ex Lease • Pentium 1.7Ghz • 4GB Ram • 500GB Hard Drive • 13.3” Screen • Slim line design • Windows 10 professional • Light weight Ultra laptop • Ex Lease
20’’ screen, Ex Lease
$599 incl GST
$699
• i5 Intel CPU • 4GB RAM • 500GB Hard Drive • Desktop case • Keyboard & Mouse corded • Windows 10 option • DVD writer • 20” screen • 6 Months Warranty • Ex Lease
incl GST
Dell E6530 Laptop
$499 incl GST
Ex Lease
$599
• Intel i5 • 4GB Ram • 320GB Hard Drive • 15.6” Screen • Webcam • DVD Writer • Windows 10 • Ex Lease
incl GST
We service & repair laptops, tablets and smartphones, including broken screens. Ring us first for a quote.
Shop online at: www.computercentre.co.nz Enter On Line Now!
serving christchurch for over 28 years
Cricket Basketball Softball Football Rugby Squash Netball Hockey Golf Lawn Bowls • For The Love Of The Game
www.christchurchgoldenoldies.com
Unit 1/100 Fitzgerald Ave (Next to Cartridge World)
Phone: 379 3428 www.computercentre.co.nz Open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
Q Card lending criteria, terms and conditions, and fees apply *All work carried out in our workshop. Home pcs only. Pay with Q Card or Farmers Card.