Family plunges off highway

A car carrying a Bay of Plenty couple and their 14-month-old child plunged 5m down a bank after crashing off State Highway 2 when an overtaking manoeuvre went horribly wrong.

A van driver said to have sparked the accident at Whakamarama did not stop.

The Katikati couple, a 21-year-old woman and 23-year-old man, along with their toddler, were heading to Tauranga when their car careered off the road at a passing lane about 1pm yesterday.

Senior Constable Chris Hill said the car was being driven by the woman.

She indicated to pull out into the passing lane to overtake a van and a truck that were travelling slowly but as they were passing the van also tried to pull out to overtake, he said.

"That forced them across the double yellow lines into the path of oncoming traffic."

The woman then lost control of the car while trying to avoid colliding with an oncoming motorcyclist.

The car swerved back across the southbound lanes and off the edge of the bank.

It landed nose-first in a bushy area beside a stream.

"They are lucky. If it had landed on its roof as opposed to wedged up against the tree it might have been worse," Mr Hill said.

The driver of a car travelling north saw the crash and called emergency services.

By the time ambulance and police staff arrived the passing motorist had helped the family crawl from the car and climb the bank to the side of the road.

Paramedic Peter Izzard said the family suffered no major injuries but were taken to Tauranga Hospital for observation.

"One had neck pain and minor head abrasions and bruising but nothing much."

The toddler was properly strapped into a car seat and not injured, Mr Izzard said.

The people involved declined to speak about their ordeal.

BOP lb