Woman seriously hurt in crash at Kerikeri black spot

The young driver was initially in a critical condition. Photo/ File

A young woman was critically injured after losing control of her car at a notorious Bay of Islands black spot.

The single-vehicle crash occurred about 9.15pm on Tuesday on Kapiro Rd, north of Kerikeri.

Senior Constable Warren Bunn, of the police Serious Crash Unit, said the driver was travelling east when she rounded a left-hand bend, lost control and slid off the road. The vehicle rolled upside-down and came to rest in a ditch.

She was initially in a critical condition and was taken by St John Ambulance to the helicopter pad at Kerikeri Sports Complex to be airlifted to Auckland.

However, medics were able to stabilise her and she was flown instead to Whangarei in a serious condition. The driver was in her late teens and lived in the Mid North area.

The cause of the accident, which occurred on a wet, dark road, was being investigated.

The driver was believed to be wearing a seat belt but may have suffered head injuries when the roof was crushed as the car rolled.

Kerikeri fire chief Les Wasson said bystanders got the driver out before emergency services arrived. Firefighters carried out traffic control and protected the scene until the Serious Crash Unit arrived.

Mr Wasson the brigade had been called to many crashes at the same spot between the Purerua Rd and Redcliff Rd turnoffs.

The owner of the Kapiro Rd property where the crash occurred gave up replacing his fence five years ago and instead placed a series of boulders. He said it was the 14th crash, several of them serious, at that exact spot in 20 years.