Family and friends are mourning the loss of a "genuine'' and "decent guy'' after a motorcyclist lost control and smashed into an oncoming car in a crash near Hampden.
John Alexander Horn (54), of Invercargill, was heading north on State Highway 1 to see friends when he lost control of his motorcycle in the wet conditions, just north of Hampden about 2.45pm on Thursday.
The bike slid, crossed the centre line and Mr Horn was hit by a south-bound car, killing him.
Mr Horn was last year appointed president of the Invercargill Repertory Society.
Members of the tight-knit theatrical group were "gutted'' by his death, immediate past president Nola Calvert said.
"We're devastated,'' she said. "We are a close-knit community and everyone gets on well.''
At the time of the crash, Mr Horn was on his way to visit friends.
"He was so excited about his trip,'' Mrs Calvert said.
He would be missed by the society.
‘‘He was a very pleasant, genuine, decent guy,'' she said.
Society patron Jonathan Tucker said Mr Horn became involved with the group in 2011, after volunteering to stage manage a play.
He joined the committee the same year and had kept a close involvement since, despite not being an actor.
"The technical side was his business,'' he said.
"He owned motels but he also ran a lighting and sound business.''
Acting Sergeant Blair Corlet, of Oamaru, said police could still not comment on the exact cause of the crash as the investigation was ongoing.
"It's hard to put a circle on anything at the moment,'' he said.
However, police said on Thursday it appeared the weather had played a factor in the incident.
The two occupants of the car involved - two women aged 59 and 89 - were taken to Oamaru Hospital following the crash.
They were yesterday discharged from hospital, Acting Sgt Corlet said.
"They are definitely still shaken and just recovering from the crash,'' he said.
"It was a pretty big impact.''
Mr Horn died only kilometres from the scene of another fatal motorcycle crash last November, when a 39-year-old Motueka man died after his motorcycle was hit by a tourist driver.
Another crash occurred on the same stretch of road after a truck swerved off the highway in December last year.
Its driver suffered moderate injuries.
Waitaki District councillor Kathy Dennison said the series of crashes caused concern and the road was "very narrow in parts''.
"There was a really nasty corner which they have widened,'' she said.
"It's just extremely unfortunate it happened and if Transit are getting reports on it, I hope they do respond to a need.''
The latest crash had impacted the small community of Hampden, she said.
"It's horrendous for the community,'' she said.
"It's tragic that it happens.''
She would raise the safety of the road with council, she said.
