Seddon youth dies in crash
14 July 2003

A 17-year-old Seddon youth was killed near Twizel yesterday after the car he was driving collided with two others on State Highway 8.


Jack Griffith Mills Bristed died when his Mazda Familia hit a trailer travelling in the opposite direction near the Lake Ruataniwha spillway at about 1.30pm.

His parents, who were following in another vehicle, arrived at the scene about 10 minutes after the accident.

Four other people, one in a serious condition, were taken to Timaru Hospital by St John Ambulance.

Constable Greg Sutherland of the Tekapo police said the youth had been travelling north when the accident occurred.

The Mazda first hit a trailer being towed by a vehicle travelling south. The occupants of this car, a Dunedin couple, were not injured.

The Mazda then spun into a second car, also travelling south. A man and woman in this car were also injured, the man seriously. Mr Sutherland said the man was in a serious but stable condition this morning.

The two other people taken to hospital were a young woman and a youth who were also travelling in the Mazda.

The crash closed off State Highway 8 for about two hours.

Police were still investigating the cause of the accident but Mr Sutherland said there was no ice or snow on the road at the time.

Although there was some fog, visibility was about 300 metres and he did not believe this would have contributed to the accident.

Volunteer fire brigades from Twizel and Omarama attended the scene, along with police from the Twizel, Omarama and Dunedin