A Northland family is in despair after having two children injured on the same dangerous stretch of road just a few years apart.
Seth Ngawhika is fighting for his life in Starship Hospital after being hit by a truck earlier this week on Tuesday.
The 11-year-old is in an induced coma and is unable to breathe on his own. Doctors fear he may have brain damage.
"He's kinda stable but the pressure does build up in his brain every now and then. He's definitely gonna have a loss of hearing," his father, Rob Ngawhika, said from Seth's bedside.
Seth had just gotten off the school bus and was on his way home when the incident occurred.
"We heard the school bus slow down and we heard the school bus take off and then we heard an impact. The kid went probably 12 metres down the road," witness Allan Norman said.
Ngawhika said two children "came running over crying, 'Uncle, Uncle, Seth's been hit'. I screamed, I ran out and then I paused for a second. I said, 'Is he alive?' and they just looked at me, crying. They couldn't answer'".
It comes after the same incident happened to his older brother Billy three years prior, in 2018. He had been hit by a car in the same location after also hopping off the school bus.
"The right front wheel ran his ankle over, ripped and severed all his calf muscles, broke the shin bone and shattered his lower leg," Ngawhika told 1News at the time.
The community had been lobbying Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency at the time to lower the 100km/h speed limit along the roughly seven-kilometre stretch of road on State Highway 10, near Awanui.
"I feel it's negligence. They could have done something," Ngawhika said.
Waka Kotahi Director Regional Relationships, Steve Mutton, told 1News in a statement: "Any death or serious injury on our roads has a traumatic effect on whānau, friends and communities.
"Waka Kotahi has been actively working together with iwi from Kareponia and others who live in Awanui and Kaingaroa on how we can improve safety on the roughly 7km stretch of road between to the two areas, including the scene of the crash, and we are grateful to all of those who have provided feedback.
"An announcement on the outcomes is imminent and a hui to share the changes was already scheduled with iwi prior to Tuesday’s crash."
However, locals living next to the road say change isn’t coming soon enough.
"They could of done something. We pleaded with them, 'Look, we want the speed limit slowed down,'" Ngawhika said.
The community gathered for a blessing this week, where they again called for the speed limit to be lowered.
"How many years has this been happening? We took this korero to the marae. We asked the council for help and they haven't slowed the road down," one man said, becoming emotional.
"Tourists didn't want to go slow through this community and so people who don't live here and who don't give a care for it have more say than those of you who live here," one woman added.
A Givealittle page has been set up for costs into Seth's ongoing care.
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