Heroic bystanders rescue family of four after car rolls in Porirua

The crash was on Paremata Rd. Photo / Google

Quick-thinking bystanders rescued a mother and her young children after their car rolled near Wellington this morning.

The woman's car was t-boned while coming out of a carpark in Paremata, Porirua, about 11.10am.

Chris McArthur was at a working bee at the Paremata Boating Club when he popped out for supplies and came across the overturned sedan lying against a bank.

"There were three kids and a mum in it. They weren't badly injured, no blood or anything, but she was a bit hysterical so the first thing was keeping her calm."

Two people in the car climbed out the back window, but the other two were trapped. McArthur said he and five others turned the car over.

"It was three-quarters over on its roof and we had to lift it up until it was truly on its side, and there was no weight on the window pillar and the boy inside.

"He was in the front passenger well and was complaining about the weight of the car on him. He was reasonably calm, considering, but he was trapped and getting a bit panicky."

The group kept the car on its side while they waited about 15 minutes for the fire service and ambulance. After 10 minutes, a passing doctor climbed into the car and helped the trapped boy, who was about 10 years old.

"It was a nice piece of team-work, everyone running over right away," McArthur said. "Thankfully no one was badly injured."

Paremata Rd was blocked while the crash was cleared up.