Second Rangitata crash victim identified

State Highway 1 (SH1) was closed between Orari and Rangitata, north of Timaru, due to a two-vehicle accident that killed two.

JOHN BISSET/Things

State Highway 1 (SH1) was closed between Orari and Rangitata, north of Timaru, due to a two-vehicle accident that killed two.

The second person to die in a car accident in South Canterbury has been named as an Ashburton man.

He was Darryl Phillips, 65.

The two-vehicle accident also killed Private Tristan McQueen, 24, of Burnham, whose name was confirmed by the NZ Army on Wednesday.

Emergency services were called to crash south of Rangitata, South Canterbury, around 3:30pm on Friday at the intersection of State Highway 1 and Looker Rd.

READ MORE:
* New Zealand Army Pays Tribute to Soldier Tristan McQueen, RNZIR
* ‘Here’s a baby’: passerby saves young child from deadly crash wreck
* Woman who helped in deadly accident Rangitata wants family to know that child was not alone

A third person, a young child, was flown to Christchurch Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and has since been taken to Starship Hospital in Auckland.

The military described McQueen as a “hardworking fit young soldier who had a real passion for his young family”.

“The investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing,” said a police spokesman.