The scene of Tuesday’s serious crash on SH2, Tauherenikau. PHOTO/GIANINA SCHWANECKE
GIANINA SCHWANECKE and HAYLEY GASTMEIER
A man is in a critical condition after a serious crash on State Highway 2 at Tauherenikau in South Wairarapa on Tuesday.
A commercial truck and an SUV collided just before 12.40pm near the Tin Hut pub.
It is understood the injured man was a passenger in an SUV driven by his wife.
Both drivers were unharmed.
However, the injured passenger was flown to Wellington Hospital by the Life Flight Westpac rescue helicopter in a critical condition.
He was initially trapped in the vehicle and had to be cut free. At the time he was “conscious and breathing”, a police media spokesperson said.
Wairarapa police investigation manager, Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Haley Ryan, said the couple in the SUV were Wairarapa residents.
The truck had been travelling north and the SUV was heading south when the crash happened, between Tauherenikau Racecourse Rd and Moroa Rd.
“The details of what caused the crash are yet to be established,” Ryan said.
She said both the Serious Crash Unit and the Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit were investigating.
“We’re trying to determine whether it was vehicle, driver, or road fault – it could be any of them, and it will become clearer in the next few days.”
Featherston fire chief Colin McKenna said firefighters from Greytown and Featherston responded.
“We cut him out of the car – the Greytown crash rescue team cut the roof off the car in pretty quick time.”
A 2.7km section of SH2 was closed while the scene was investigated, and drivers were diverted along Camp Rd and No 1 Line.
The road reopened at 6.30pm.
The man was in intensive care in Wellington Hospital on Tuesday night.
