A woman acting as support crew for her husband who was cycling the Otago Central Rail Trail crashed her campervan down a 2m bank in the Ida Valley yesterday coming to rest just above the water in a drainage ditch.
Senior Constable John Clark said the van tipped over on to its side. The 65-year-old woman driver, the only occupant, was ''suspended in the air'' strapped in by her seat belt and was unable to get out.
A crew from the Omakau Fire Brigade was able to get her out through the driver's window, using a ladder, Snr Const Clark said. The woman was checked by St John volunteers but was uninjured, apart from some bruising.
Her husband was on the rail trail and had continued on his way to Oturehua, unaware he had cycled within about 50m of where his wife had crashed, Snr Const Clark said.
The woman was driving in Auripo Rd, in the Ida Valley, at 8.50am, failed to negotiate a sharp left turn and lost control of the vehicle. She contacted emergency services on her cellphone and was fortunate her side of the van had not ended up in the water flowing down in the drainage ditch.
''It was quite a strong flow and was deep enough to cause you problems, if you ended up in it.''
Removing the van from the ditch took several hours, he said. Speed and alcohol were not factors in the crash.
