A life was lost and another sustained serious injuries when a vehicle plunged into a river near Tāneatua yesterday. Emergency responders were dispatched after a car left White Pine Bush Road and went into the nearby water just after 6:00 pm. A police spokesperson confirmed that one person died at the scene while the other is seriously injured. The road was shut overnight and has since reopened. Investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Separately, a separate incident in Auckland’s Māngere left one person critically injured following a two-vehicle crash involving a car and a truck on the northbound lanes of the Southwestern Motorway, near the Coronation Road off-ramp, around 4:00 am. The car’s driver was rescued from the wreck and transported to Auckland City Hospital in critical condition. For a period, two northbound lanes were closed while investigators from the Serious Crash Unit examined the scene. Inquiries into that crash continue.