A driver suffered serious injuries after his car flipped several times near Barrytown on the West Coast and he ended up in the back seat.
The man, from Punakaiki, was rescued after a passing police officer spotted the wreckage in a ditch yesterday afternoon.
He was cut free by firefighters and flow to Grey Base Hospital in Greymouth by the Solid Energy Rescue Helicopter.
He suffered leg, chest, spinal and facial injuries, including a broken femur and ankles, and was undergoing surgery this morning.
Greymouth Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Alan McEnaney said it appeared the car had done several flips, flinging the driver into the back seat.
