Crash car had no steering wheel and was being driven with vice grips

Vice-grips used to steer a vehicle involved in a collision in Tauranga yesterday. Photo/supplied

A string of at least seven crashes around Tauranga kept police and emergency services staff busy yesterday.

One of the crashes involved a driver whose car had no steering wheel - he was instead using vice grips to steer the car.

Sergeant Wayne Hunter said the driver crashed into a stationary vehicle at road works on Pyes Pa Rd, near Merrick Rd, about 4pm.

How the car with no steering wheel looked after rear-ending another vehicle in Pyes Pa. Photo/supplied

No one was injured, although the driver was taken to hospital for observation, he said.
"The car he was driving was totally unsafe, it hadn't had a warrant in two years," Mr Hunter said.

The driver would be charged with dangerous driving, and possibly more, he said.
The crash caused some traffic delays in the area.

About 11.15am police and the Fire Service were called to Cambridge Rd, near the intersection with State Highway 29, after the driver of a Page Earthworks Limited truck needed medical assistance.

Acting Sergeant Andy Anderson said the truck driver had been informed some of his load was spilling and pulled over on the side of the road to take action, when he suffered some sort of medical event or an industrial accident.

Mr Anderson said the driver was driven to Tauranga Hospital by ambulance, and inquiries about the incident were continuing. No other details of the patient's condition were available when the newspaper went to print.

Several hours later police were called to Fraser St after the driver of a car appeared to have lost control and hit a power pole about 1.35pm.

A reporter at the scene said the car was full of passengers and appeared to spin out before colliding with the pole at the intersection of 18th Ave.

It was unknown whether anyone was injured.

Ten minutes later police and the Fire Service were called to Vale Rd, Otumoetai, after a car plunged down a small bank.

A car crashed into a drain on Vale St. Photo/John Borren

Sergeant Wayne Hunter said the 17-year-old driver, who was not going fast, lost control on the greasy road as she came around the corner from Grange Rd, and as she tried to correct the skid her vehicle left the road and ended up on its side in a ditch.

Mr Hunter said the driver, who was on a restricted licence, was shaken but not injured and was being comforted by nearby residents.

The vehicle had to be towed from the scene.

Two vehicle collisions in Te Puna caused traffic to back up along State Highway 2.

Emergency services responded to a two vehicle crash on SH2, which blocked one lane of traffic about 4.30pm. No one was injured but a police spokesman said police were on site running a diversion.

A second collision occured nearby approximately an hour later as a result of the earlier crash. The police spokesman said no one was injured in the two car collision, but motorists driving along SH2 reported traffic was backed up to Bethlehem.

Later in the evening five vehicles were involved in a collision on Te Awanui Dr, near the entrance to the Tauranga Bridge Marina. The collision caused one lane heading towards Mount Maunganui to be closed, causing the Harbour Bridge to become heavily blocked.

Multiple vehicle crash on Te Awanui Dr caused a traffic build up heading towards the Mount. Photo/ George Novak