Crash survivors wait seven hours for rescue

Two injured women lay trapped in freezing conditions in the mangled wreck of a car alongside the body of their dead driver for nearly seven hours last night after crashing off a Bay of Plenty road.

The car was discovered in a ditch just after 5am today, about 1km north of Te Puke on State Highway 2, by a man riding a scooter.

The discovery brought the Queen's Birthday holiday weekend road toll to three.

Western Bay of Plenty emergency services staff say the cold weather could have saved the two women, particularly one in her 20s who received serious abdominal and leg injuries.

In the cold, blood was drawn to major organs rather than extremities, they said.

Acting Senior Sergeant Lester Polglase, of the police strategic traffic unit, said the exact time of the accident had yet to be determined but a farmer near the scene had reported hearing a "loud bang" about 10.30pm yesterday.

"He didn't see anything and it wasn't until this morning that the accident was reported," Mr Polglase said.

The scooter rider contacted a local Te Puke security firm who in turn reported the crash to police.

The car had been travelling towards Tauranga when it apparently failed to take a right-hand bend and crashed off the road.

"There were three or four trees off the road and unfortunately it appears they have hit the biggest one," Mr Polglase said.

The front of the car was badly damaged and Te Puke volunteer firefighters worked for two hours to free the two women from the wreck.

Mr Polglase said the car landed in a ditch, below the road, making it difficult for other motorists to see.

St John area manager Ken Hansen said the injured women were able to speak to ambulance staff when they arrived.

Although the temperature was low, the women had plenty of clothing on.

"Some times in these situations the cold can save lives. It slows everything down and the blood tends to flow to the vital organs rather than limbs," Mr Hansen said.

The two women were taken to Tauranga Hospital. The front-seat passenger was in serious condition, and the other woman's condition was stable.

Traffic was diverted from the highway until about 7.45am.

- NZPA