Fatal police pursuit: Passenger still critical

Scene of the crash at the intersection of Te Irirangi Drive and Cavendish Drive on Saturday night. Photo / Facebook/Radio Tarana

A woman badly hurt in a South Auckland police pursuit is still in a critical condition.

She's been fighting for her life since Saturday night.

Middlemore Hospital says this morning her condition is unchanged.

Driver, 32-year-old Eden Hoey, originally from Northland, was killed in the crash.

He failed to stop at a red light on Great South Rd in Manukau, led police on a high-speed chase and ploughed into an SUV, injuring the occupants.

The horrific crash happened at the intersection of Te Irirangi Drive and Cavendish Drive after police tried to stop a black saloon on Great South Rd at about 10.30 on Saturday.

It's thought it reached speeds of up to 120km/h.

Hoey died, and his two female passengers were injured - one critically.

The SUV's four occupants were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected through the vehicle's back windscreen, suffering serious injuries.

Counties Manukau area commander Inspector Dave Glossop said it was a "miracle" no one in the SUV was killed or seriously maimed in the crash.

"I have seen the incident on camera and it's very disturbing to see ... people weren't wearing seatbelts and they were actually ejected out the back window of the vehicle," he said.

"[They were] very lucky ... It is a real lesson of why to wear a seat belt, but the message that these things happen in a split second ... [a life] was lost and it's just needless."

He added that the fleeing driver's actions were reckless.

"This whole attitude of failing to stop for police needs to end.

"Whatever that person has done is not more important than the community's lives, or their own life."

A police investigation into the matter was ongoing and the Independent Police Conduct Authority had been notified.

Witnesses to the fatal crash have spoken of their shock.

Nearby residents told the Herald they heard a loud bang followed by sirens when the crash happened, within 1km of where police first tried to pull the car over.

"I didn't see the crash but I heard sirens and then a loud bang," one resident said this morning.

Witnesses to the crash posted about it on social media.

A woman shared images of the wreckage on Facebook, saying she had "never seen such a scary thing before".

"First ever serious car crash I have seen in personal throughout my whole life [sic]. But may the Lord be with those who suffered and the family of the loved one who passed ... during that's serious car accident [sic]."

Another woman posted that she was at the scene of the crash with her mother.

"Shocked to see the aftermath of a horrific accident and very sad that people were hurt."