Child injured in crash leaves hospital

The 4-year-old girl seriously injured when a four-wheel-drive she was in crashed off the side of Mt Wellington has been released from hospital.

The child's 9-year-old relative, Britney Abbott, died in the crash which happened at about 4pm on Sunday.

Police were informed of the fatality moments after being told by a third party that there were concerns for the girls' safety.

The two girls had been collected from a Mt Wellington address earlier by a 28-year-old man who was driving the vehicle when it crashed. Witnesses watched as it sped through a safety barrier and rolled more than 100m down the side of Mt Wellington.

The four-year-old, who was knocked unconscious when she was thrown from the vehicle, was found by a member of the public and carried up the hill to an ambulance.

Her injuries were described at the time as serious. She is now being cared for by relatives.

The man received internal injuries and remains in hospital in a stable condition under police guard.

Yesterday, as police were interviewing the man, the wreckage of the vehicle was removed from the bush it came to rest in near the base of the mountain.

The scene examination had taken some time due to the position of the vehicle and difficulty in accessing it.

Detective Senior Sergeant Julian Rinckes said police had been reconstructing the movements of the vehicle before it crashed as part of their investigation.

"We're investigating the sudden death of a child and the injuring of another while a man was at the wheel, so obviously our investigation will be thorough and robust," he said. "The Serious Crash Unit has been helping reconstruct the movements of the vehicle before and during the crash and the Specialist Search Group has been assisting us examine the wider scene for any clues about why this sad tragedy happened."