Baby escapes, two others injured in crash

Photo / Christine Cornege

A man, woman and baby were taken to hospital after a crash north of Te Awamutu yesterday afternoon - the man and woman in critical condition.

The three occupants of two vehicles - a ute and a Nissan Navara - needed to be cut from the wreckage by firefighters.

The vehicle of the 31-year-old woman - and her infant daughter - and the man's vehicle collided north of the intersection of State Highway 3 and Te Rahu Rd about 3.20pm.

The woman was in a critical but stable condition in Waikato Hospital last night. She had multiple fractures and a head injury. Her one-year-old daughter was taken to hospital as a precaution.

The 49-year-old man underwent surgery last night.

He was in a critical condition with multiple leg, chest and head fractures.

Waikato Police are investigating the cause of the crash. The highway was closed for more than two hours while police, fire and ambulance staff worked to free the victims and to start their investigation.