A man was flown to Wellington Hospital in critical condition following a crash on SH53 on Tuesday afternoon. PHOTO/GIANINA SCHWANECKE
GIANINA SCHWANECKE
A man is in critical condition following a two-car crash near the Tauherenikau River Bridge along State Highway 53 on Tuesday afternoon.
The male occupant of a sedan-like car was initially trapped when police and two fire crews, one from Featherston Station and the other from Greytown, responded to the crash at about 1.50pm.
“They cut the roof of the car off and then cut the pedals and got him out,” Featherston Fire Chief Colin McKenna said.
“He had an ankle injury and broken ribs. It was reasonably serious because it took quite some time to stabilise him and get him to the helicopter.”
He was flown to Wellington Hospital in critical condition by the Philips Search and Rescue Trust helicopter, while the two other passengers in his car reportedly only suffered minor seatbelt injuries.
The female driver and sole occupant of the other car sustained moderate injuries and was transferred to Wairarapa Hospital.
The road was closed for about three hours between Number One Line and South Featherston Rd while a team from the serious crash unit carried out their investigation.
A resident living nearby, who the Times-Age has agreed not to name, said people frequently drove at speed near the SH53 intersection with Number One Line and they considered the bridge where the crash happened to be dangerous.
