Crash down a 50-metre bank in Hawke’s Bay: 61-year-old with serious injuries transferred to Waikato Hospital

The rescue helicopter was called to Waihi Road near Tuai, where a woman had driven off a 50 metre bank. Photo / Google Maps

A 61-year-old woman with serious injuries after crashing 50 metres down a bank in Northern Hawke’s Bay has been transferred to Waikato Hospital for treatment.

The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter was called to the scene of the crash off Waihi Rd, near Tuai, about 1am on Saturday.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said the driver had been trapped for roughly four hours before bystanders came across the vehicle and helped free her.

A Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter spokesman said the rescue helicopter landed nearby the incident crew helped carry the woman up the bank, with assistance from bystanders.

The women was then taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital with serious injuries. She was then transferred to Waikato Hospital. An update on her condition on Monday afternoon was not immediately available.

Meanwhile, a women in her 40s and a man in his 50s have been discharged from Hawke’s Bay Hospital after a serious two-car crash downed power lines near Pakipaki on Sunday afternoon.

The cars collided before one of the cars hit a power pole, leaving fallen powerlines across both lanes of State Highway 2, closing the road for several hours.