Hitchhiker killed in collision

A female hitchhiker was killed near Napier this morning after another vehicle slammed into the rear of the car that had just picked her up.

Senior Sergeant Tony Dewhurst of the Napier police said the local woman had been hitchhiking on Franklin Rd, an open road through Bay View, 11km north of Napier City, when a car stopped to pick her up about 7.20am.

"A vehicle travelling north collided with the parked car that had stopped to pick up the hitchhiker.

"She had just got into the backseat and she was killed."

Three other people -- including both drivers and a passenger in the moving vehicle -- were injured.

Their conditions were not known.

Mr Dewhurst said it was dark and it had been raining at the time of the crash.

"We are still investigating the cause of the crash," he said.

- NZPA