A Northland man has been seriously injured after fleeing from a crash at a notorious highway junction.
Yesterday's chaos started with a relatively minor accident at the intersection of State Highways One and 10 at Pakaraka, northwest of Kawakawa, just before 1pm.
However, one of the drivers is reported to have fled the crash scene, driving at speed up SH10 before losing control at the first bend, crossing on to the wrong side of the road, demolishing a sign and a fence, and finally colliding with a tree. Police said they would be requesting a blood sample for alcohol analysis.
The man's vehicle ended up among gum trees 500m from the junction where the original crash occurred. The impact had folded the car door around his legs, leaving the 61-year-old Kerikeri man trapped.
Firefighters from the Kerikeri, Kawakawa and Kaikohe brigades spent 40 minutes cutting the man free from the wreckage, while St John paramedics worked to keep him stable. He was then taken the short distance to Pakaraka School by ambulance, from where the Northland Electricity rescue helicopter airlifted him to Whangarei Hospital in a serious condition.