Car crashes down bank on SH2 north of Tauranga

A stretch of State Highway 2 north of Tauranga where a person was trapped after a crash involving a car and truck this morning is now clear.

The car was in collision with a truck between Te Puna Quarry Rd and Ainsworth Rd about 7.35am. The area is a known black spot for serious and fatal crashes.

A reporter at the scene said the crash appears to have happened directly underneath where several large white crosses have been erected on the side of the road as part of the Fix the Bloody Road safety campaign, set up by local residents.

A serious crash has happened on SH2 near a collection of large white crosses. Photo / Zoe Hunter

Traffic travelling north was now free flowing but Tauranga-bound traffic was still slow, she said.

However, it is understood a truck has broken down near Te Puna, she said.

Shortly after the crash, a bystander told the Bay of Plenty Times emergency services were yet to arrive but already there were a lot of people standing at the top of a bank, where the car had gone down.

There were many people on their phones and waving down traffic, he said.

The bystander said the crash happened in the area where there was a passing lane.

A police media spokeswoman said the incident, reported to police around 7.35am, was 2-3km out of Te Puna towards Katikati.

She said there was at least one person trapped and the fire service was responding.

People gather at the scene of a crash on SH2 north of Tauranga. Photo / Zoe Hunter

The incident involved a truck and a car, the spokeswoman said.

Police were first notified by St John ambulance.