Nearly 700 lose power after serious Hastings crash

A car crashed into a power box on Willowpark Rd in Hastings on Friday night, leaving one person seriously injured and nearly 700 homes without power.

A woman in her late 60s was seriously injured and nearly 700 Unison customers were left without power overnight after a car crashed into a Hastings powerbox on Friday.

A police spokesman said emergency services responded to a vehicle that had crashed into a powerbox on Willowpark Rd about 11.25pm on Friday.

A St John spokeswoman said one person was assessed, treated, and transported to Hawke’s Bay Hospital in a serious condition.

A Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay spokeswoman said a woman in her late 60s was in Hawke’s Bay Hospital in a stable condition following the crash, as of midday Sunday.

A Unison spokeswoman confirmed that the crash caused 675 Unison customers in Mayfair and Parkvale, Hastings, to lose power for about eight hours.

“Unison crews worked through the night and all customers were restored by 7.38am Saturday,” the spokeswoman said.

“Crews will be undertaking further repairs, and customers will be notified ahead of time of any outages related to this work.”

One person received minor injuries after a crash in Central Hawke’s Bay on Saturday evening.

The police spokesman said they responded to a single-vehicle crash on Pōrangahau Rd at 7.39pm.

The St John spokeswoman said one person in a minor condition was assessed and treated at the scene.