By Hayley Gastmeier
A teenage Carterton couple are lucky to be alive after the vehicle they were travelling in plummeted about 10 metres off a bank.
The accident happened just south of the Mt Bruce summit, north of Masterton, yesterday at around 10am.
The couple, both 18, were reported to be trapped inside the crashed vehicle but were free by the time emergency services arrived at the scene.
Their car, a hatchback, had been travelling in the southbound lane along State Highway 2 when it went off the road.
“It just left its lane towards the left-hand side, and skidded about 50 metres before going off a 10-metre bank,” Acting Traffic Sergeant Shayne Nolan said.
The vehicle is still in thick bush, and is yet to be retrieved.
Mr Nolan said the female driver was fined for driving on a learner’s licence, and was given a formal caution for careless driving.
He said the crash happened at “a bit of a black spot”, just metres from where a cross was fixed signifying a past road fatality.
First on the scene were the Eketahuna Volunteer Fire Brigade, followed by the Masterton Fire Service.
Masterton Fire Service officer Mike Cornford said the vehicle had plunged into dense bush.
“By the time we got there both people were out of the car, they were extremely lucky with maybe moderate injuries,” he said.
“They managed to get out of the car and scramble up the bank themselves, which we were actually quite amazed about.”
They were administered first aid by the Eketahuna crew and then were taken by ambulance to Wairarapa Hospital to be examined.
“They were very lucky though, if they had of been trapped in the car down there it would’ve made for a very interesting extrication,” Mr Cornford said.
Police said it was the responsibility of the vehicle owner to have the car removed from the crash site.
