Mount Maunganui crash: Hunt for driver of stolen ute after tractor driver badly injured

Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter, the head of the Western Bay of Plenty road policing team, is urging all motorists to be vigilant about watching out for tractors on our roads. Photo / George Novak

Police are trying to find the driver of a stolen ute who crashed into a tractor on State Highway 29A, sending its driver onto the road.

The 59-year-old was taken to Tauranga Hospital in a serious condition after the incident took place near Baypark Stadium between Maunganui Rd on-ramp and Truman Rd, about 4.10pm on Tuesday.

The ute driver fled the scene but an examination was underway.

Head of Western Bay of Plenty road policing Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter said the tractor driver's injuries were "not life-threatening" but they were yet to speak to the ute driver.

The crash was still being investigated but initial enquiries suggest a man speeding in a stolen vehicle allegedly tried to "underpass" a car immediately behind the tractor and hit it as a result.

Hunter said the tractor was driving between the fog line and the road barrier when the ute tried to pass the car on the left-hand side before striking the tractor.

Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter, the head of the Western Bay of Plenty road policing team. Photo / George Novak

"We still don't know exactly how this all happened but the tractor was pushed into an AMCO barrier and the tractor driver was ejected from their vehicle onto the road."

The single occupant of the ute fled the scene and had not been located, Hunter said.

"We will be doing a further examination of the stolen ute, which also had false plates, to try and identify who was driving it."

"We encourage him to come forward to talk to us, and we urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward... We also want any eye-witnesses who saw the ute's movements prior to the crash to call us."

Hunter reminded motorists that tractors were legally able to be on the road and other road users needed to be vigilant about looking out for farm vehicles.

On Monday, there was another crash involving a tractor after one collided with a truck on the Tauranga Eastern Link/SH 2.

Two people were taken to hospital, one with moderate injuries and the other with minor injuries.

Hunter said initial enquiries suggest the accident happened when the truck tried to pass the tractor, not realising there was a vehicle in the right-hand lane ahead of it.

Inquiries were ongoing.

A Tauranga Hospital spokesman said that the injured tractor driver was in a "stable condition".