‘I thought this is the end’: Woman driver dodges death

A Christchurch woman escaped with her life after a driver who had allegedly stolen an SUV careered across a state highway towards her parked car as he fled police.

Natalia Halliday was on her way to work when officers asked her to stop as they tried to apprehend the man near Rolleston.

As she parked at the side of the road, the man’s car sped north across the Selwyn Bridge, before hurtling across the road in front of a stationary police car directly towards her.

‘‘My car was stopped, I couldn’t go anywhere. It was happening too fast,’’ she said. ‘‘He just came straight for me.

‘‘I just saw his face and screamed.

‘‘I thought, this is the end.’’ The car swerved, narrowly missing her car, and sped off up the road.

Shaking, she said a passing nurse came to her assistance, while a bus driver also got out to give her a hug.

The incident was sparked when a man was reportedly seen driving a stolen car in Washdyke, just north of Timaru, before 7am yesterday, a police spokeswoman said.

After police signalled him to stop he fled, driving north towards Rakaia – where he allegedly stole another car and kept driving north to Rolleston, 130 kilometres from where he was first spotted.

The man is believed to have then crashed on Weedons Ross Rd in the town, south of Christchurch, and fled on foot.

Halliday said she was stopped by police as she was approaching the Selwyn Bridge travelling south about 9am, parking at the side of the road.

She was on the phone to her husband, thinking it was an accident nearby, when the SUV came directly at her as she sat in her car.

‘‘I have never ever seen a car so erratic or going as fast as that,’’ Halliday said. ‘‘I am glad he did not kill anyone.’’

Her husband, who was given a fright over the phone, came to pick her up, she said.

The man was arrested ‘‘without incident’’ in Weedons Ross Rd shortly before midday, police said.

He was hurt in the incident and was taken to Christchurch Hospital, where he was treated for moderate injuries.

Police rural area commander Inspector Peter Cooper said it was understood a 30-year-old man had allegedly stolen the car.

Some schools and preschools in the area went into lockdown as a precaution. Rolleston College said in a Facebook post that it kept students inside before being assured there was no danger. West Rolleston Primary School also went into lockdown, which was lifted about midday.