SH1 crash fourth fatality of month

The driver of the black Volkswagen Golf died at the scene of this collision near Whakapara yesterday afternoon. Photo / Michael Cunningham

November has been the deadliest month on Northland's roads so far this year, with the fourth fatal accident in less than a month.

A woman in her 60s died yesterday afternoon after a two-car smash on State Highway 1 near Whakapara, about 1pm.

St John acting district operations manager Mark Going said the woman died at the scene as she was being extricated from her car by emergency services staff.

The woman was the driver and sole occupant of a black Volkswagen Golf that was heading north.

"It was quite a complicated cut out because of the damage to the vehicles," Mr Going said. "She died while we were cutting her out. There was extensive damage to both driver compartments ... I think the emergency services worked well together to provide care to the patient while she was being cut out [of the vehicle]."

A woman in her late teens who was driving the second southbound vehicle - a Ford - was transported to Whangarei Hospital with serious injuries. A man in his late 20s went with her, suffering moderate injuries.

Northland road policing Senior Sergeant Ian Row said yesterday afternoon that the cause of the crash was not yet clear, though it appeared fatigue may be a factor. The police serious crash unit was at the scene shortly after the accident, with the State Highway closed for almost four hours.

Mr Going said the crash was part of a busy afternoon for Northland's emergency services, with St John deploying units from Whangarei and Kawakawa.

Police were expected to release the name of the woman who died once her next-of-kin had been notified.

Nineteen people have died on Northland's roads this year, equalling last year's total road toll. At this time last year, 13 people had died on Northland's roads.

So far this month a 64-year-old English tourist died and four other people were injured after a head-on collision between two cars near Oakleigh south of Whangarei on November 4. On November 12 another man died after his car and a truck transporting a house collided on State Highway 10 about 18km south of Kerikeri.

The 52-year-old from Kerikeri, the car's sole occupant, died at the scene. The driver of the truck and his passengers were uninjured. On Saturday night a man died after losing control of the car he was driving and crashing it on a bank on State Highway 10 near Kaeo.