Driver escapes major injury after car slams into tree outside Te Puke church

Te Puke Volunteer Fire Brigade and St John Ambulance staff rescued a driver who crashed outside a church. Photo/File

A woman who was trapped inside her vehicle after she lost control and her car slammed into a tree outside a church in Te Puke has escaped serious injury.

A police spokeswoman said the crash happened on Malyon St outside the Te Puke Baptist Church about 10.20pm on Saturday and the driver was trapped inside for a time.

The driver was not seriously injured but she was taken to Tauranga Hospital with a suspected broken arm, the spokeswoman said.

Both the local fire brigade and St John Ambulance staff attended.

Te Puke volunteer fire chief Glenn Williams said the patient was already in an ambulance when he and his crew arrived on the scene, and their services were not required.

It is not known whether the woman managed to free herself, he said.

Williams said it appeared the car had slid sideways into the tree as most of the damage was on the left-hand side of the vehicle.

Police also attended another crash just before 3.30am on Sunday, after a car hit a barrier on the intersection of Greenwood Park Lane and Welcome Bay Rd, in Welcome Bay.

There were no reports of anyone being injured but the driver of the car was checked over by St John Ambulance staff at the scene.