LEAD STORY: HB man fights for life

A 68-year-old man was airlifted to Hawke's Bay Hospital with serious chest injuries and remains in a critical condition after a quad bike accident on a Hastings vineyard yesterday.

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was called to Delegat's Crownthorpe Vineyard on Gimblett Gravels, near Hastings, at 2.30pm after the man, driving a quad bike, crashed into a wooden post while he was scaring off birds from the vines. The Hawke's Bay District Health Board confirmed the man was this morning still in intensive care.

Crownthorpe Vineyard, started in 2001, is now the largest single vineyard planting in the Hawke's Bay wine region.

It faces the Ngaruroro River and is bounded to the north by the Kikowhero Stream.

Accidents on quad bikes, also known as all-terrain vehicles, farm bikes, or four-wheelers occur on a regular basis in Hawke's Bay.

They first appeared in the early 1980s and now there are about 70,000 in use in New Zealand, mostly on farms, as the main source of farm transportation.

As the number has grown, so too have accidents and injuries.

Apart from road crashes, ATVs are the single most common cause of work-related fatalities in New Zealand. About a quarter of all injuries are to the head, yet few riders wear helmets.

Figures released by ACC today showed there had been 177 new claims made in relation to quad-bike accidents across Hawke's Bay between July 2008 and June 2009.

Add those 177 new claims to the 60 ongoing accident claims and you have a total taxpayer bill of $1,108,114 for Hawke's Bay alone.

While the exact number of fatals couldn't be confirmed, Hawke's Bay had less than three in recent years.

Chest injuries received in quad-bike accidents cost the country $463,567 in the past year.

KEEPING SAFE

* Helmets should always be worn when riding an ATV.

* Children under the age of 12 should not ride ATVs and children aged 12 to 15 should only ride them if they have been appropriately trained.

* Extra care should always be taken when carrying passengers.

* Users need to ensure health and safety policies reflect that anyone using an ATV on their property is suitably trained to use it safely.