Having held his hand for some time after ambulance staff "called it", Constable Kathy Pomfrett's heart went out to the family of 23-year-old Tauranga trucker Christopher Hammond - particularly as she has a son the same age.
"That always makes it harder ... My thoughts are always with the family. I guess that's why I ended up hanging on to his hand for so long," she said yesterday, her voice wavering as she recalled the moment.
The 46-year-old mother-of-four was on holiday in the North Island - taking a break from the Nelson Youth Aid Unit - when she came across the scene of yesterday's fatal truck accident at Houmahanga Pt by Lake Taupo.
Const Pomfrett knew there was an accident because a crowd of people was gathered around cars, but could not see any police.
So she did what any officer would have done, she said.
"I saw the truck over the side and thought 'There are no cops here. I should go'. The only way to get down was to sit back and hope for the best."
On reaching the bottom - dirty but unscathed - Const Pomfrett discovered a volunteer fireman was already on site, towing the man's body back to shore.
"He had already got him to the edge, but couldn't lift him out by himself. I put him in recovery and did the best I could, but unfortunately it wasn't enough," she said .
Paramedics also could not revive the man.
Const Pomfrett again expressed her frustration that she could not have done more.
"I'm just disappointed I wasn't able to get a better result and certainly my thoughts are with the family."
She praised the efforts of the fireman.
Const Pomfrett - who recently returned from six months in the Solomon Islands - said it came down to adrenaline in situations like that.
But it never got any easier.
"It's always harder when they are the same age as your own children.
"They are the ones that stick in your brain the most."
