About 10 am on October 31, Father Freddie Barte was driving home to Waitara, north Taranaki, along State Highway 3A after attending a church service in Inglewood.
While driving, he noticed a truck and trailer unit in the opposite lane before seeing the flash of another car heading straight towards him.
The other motorist had attempted to overtake the truck
Barte said it all happened so suddenly, but he was able to swerve in time to avoid a head-on collision with the other motorist.
But in doing so, he collided with the side of the truck.
“The only word I said was ‘my god’,” he said.
After a full assessment at Taranaki Base Hospital, the only injury discovered was two broken toes on his right foot.
People who had seen the damage done to his car can’t believe that he walked away from the crash.
It’s not the first time Barte has been caught up in a serious crash. About 25 years ago, when he lived in the Philippines and was embarking on his career, Barte was knocked off his motorcycle by a truck.
He suffered a badly broken leg and pelvis and was in hospital for days.
Barte said he held no ill will toward the other driver but hoped his experience would serve as a reminder for all drivers to stick to the road rules.
From the Tagum Diocese in the Philippines, Barte has been living at St Joseph’s, Waitara, since November 2013.
He was ordained a priest in 1991 after ten years of study.
He said he decided to enter the priesthood at the age of 12, a choice which was influenced by his parents who were lay ministers. As one of five boys from his family, he was the only one to become a priest.
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