Two fatal incidents involving motorcycles occurring within a week of each other was described by Central Otago District Mayor Tamah Alley as awful.
Ms Alley said she had been thinking about the incidents and how it was not only awful for the community, but also the first responders who had to attend two incidents in less than a week.
The mayor’s comments came after a fatal motorcycle incident in Bannockburn Rd on Monday night.
A Hato Hone St John spokesman said the service was notified of a motor vehicle incident at 9.57pm and responded with two ambulances and one helicopter.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said three crews from Cromwell were sent to the scene, the first truck arriving at 10.11pm.
All trucks had left by 12.35am.
In a media release, police said the rider was found in a critical condition and later died at the scene.
The Serious Crash Unit had examined the scene and investigations into the crash were ongoing.
The Bannockburn crash followed another incident on State Highway 8 in the Cromwell Gorge last Thursday.
The two-vehicle crash involved a ute and a motorcycle.
The motorcyclist and the ute driver were both critically injured and later died at the scene.
A second person in the ute survived the crash and was treated at Dunstan Hospital.
Inquiries into the crash were ongoing.
Ms Alley said for small communities such as Central Otago, people were acutely aware of the impacts fatal incidents had on the community as often there were connections between victims and those attending the scene.
"While our community is resilient, we need to look out for one another."
By Ella Jenkins
