Getting a lift in rush-hour traffic

No one got more than a fright in this crash. Picture / North Shore Police

"It wasn't fun but it was extraordinary."

That is the way Lynn Baird described her experience when a red sportscar lifted her Mitsubishi Diamante off the ground during an accident yesterday morning.

The crash happened outside Rangitoto College as the Whangaparaoa woman was taking her 13-year-old son Levon to Takapuna Grammar.

Ms Baird said she was going slowly because of the wet roads when the lights turned orange, about 7.30am.

Knowing she would never make it through the East Coast Rd intersection, Ms Baird braked, but the Mazda Eunos Roadster following her didn't stop in time.

Instead of simply hitting the back of the Mitsubishi, the Mazda went under it, lifting Ms Baird and Levon into the air.

Their car came to rest on the bonnet and roof of the Mazda.

"When I went to step out, that's when I went into shock," said Ms Baird. "My son said to me, 'Hit the door button, Mum. Get out of the car'."

After making the small jump from the car to the ground, Ms Baird went to check on the other couple in the Mazda.

When she spoke to them the couple said they saw the Mitsubishi riding up over their bonnet but didn't feel a thing.

While the bonnet was damaged, their windscreen did not even shatter.

Senior Sergeant Shawn Rutene of North Shore said no one was injured in the unusual accident, which was witnessed by several bemused students and motorists.

Levon got a day off school and Ms Baird's car was last night at the panelbeaters being assessed for her insurance company.

"The big thing was that everybody was fine," she said. "If you are ever going to be in a car accident, that's probably the accident to be in."

The driver of the Mazda, a man believed to be in his 50s or 60s, and his female passenger could not be reached for comment last night.