100 crashes in 12 hours

Atrocious driving conditions are blamed for a spate of accidents on North Island roads yesterday, with more than 100 accidents north of Turangi in less than 12 hours.

Police warn the large number of holidaymakers returning home this weekend to drive to the conditions and be patient.

Police northern communication manager Kerry Watson blamed poor weather and heavy traffic for yesterday's problems.

Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman urged motorists to take care this weekend, with the weather unlikely to improve. "It will be very heavy northbound. People need to be patient."

Traffic backed up for several kilometres along the Kopu-Hikuai Rd (SH26a) after a two-car accident just after 3pm.

Aucklander Grant Calder was heading west towards Thames when he saw an oncoming car start to skid. In his rear-vision mirror he saw the car lose control and collide with another behind him.

Mr Calder said a little girl had serious bruising from her seatbelt. The female driver was complaining of a sore side and had to be cut free.

A 7-year-old boy in the other car also had to be cut from the front seat. The male driver, believed to be the boy's father, was injured.

Traffic backed up for several kilometres as emergency personnel cut the victims free. All four were taken to Thames Hospital with moderate to serious injuries.

State Highway 1 north of Te Hana, near Wellsford, was closed for more than an hour after a 10-car collision at 4.15pm. No injuries were reported, but traffic also backed up for several kilometres..

Earlier, SH1 was closed at Lichfield, 15km north of Tokoroa, after a car and van collided at 1.30pm. A 63-year-old Austrian man was flown by the Tenon rescue helicopter to Waikato Hospital with serious injuries.