Dannevirke fatal crash victim named

Police have named a young Dannevirke woman killed when the car she was driving left the road and crashed into the wall of a bank building in the town early today.

She was Cassandra Gail Schumann, aged 20.

Dannevirke police said the crash happened at 1.45am on the corner of Stanley and London Streets.

Two Dannevirke men, who were also in the car, are in Palmerston North Hospital's intensive care unit.

Front seat passenger Pakere Paewai, 23, was in a stable condition and the rear seat passenger Maurice Scott, also known as Maurice Sciascia, 38, was in a critical but stable condition this afternoon.

Diversions were in place for several hours to allow a scene examination to take place and the cause of the crash was being investigated, police said.

Speed appeared to be an "obvious factor" in the crash.

It was a busy night for emergency services in the town as police, fire and ambulance officers were called out to another crash at 3am. A car skidded off State Highway 2, 5km north of Dannevirke, and hit a tree.

The driver and sole occupant, Hohepa Black, 25, was airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital where this afternoon he was in a stable condition.

- NZPA