Family in van flips over in Southland

A man and two children avoided serious injury when their van overturned in a culvert in Southland this afternoon.

The van was towing a trailer when it drifted to the left side of State Highway 6 at Lumsden and hit the edge of the culvert just before 3.40pm, police said.

The vehicle stopped instantly and the force caused it to flip over into the culvert on its roof.

The 32-year-old male driver and a 10-year-old boy were in the front seats, and an 8-year-old girl was in the back seat.

The trailer contained five pig dogs.

About three carloads of passers-by helped get the children out of the van before emergency services arrived and the Fire Service cut the man free.

He was flown to Dunedin Hospital with leg injuries and the 10-year-old boy was taken for observation.

All the dogs had been recovered.

Police said man and the children were wearing seat belts that certainly had prevented a fatal crash.