A hitchhiker has been seriously injured after being hit by a car in the western Bay of Plenty this morning.
The 30-year-old Asian woman was hitchhiking on Jellicoe St, near the intersection of Oroua St, in Te Puke when an east-bound vehicle left the road and crashed into her around 11.52am, police said.
The woman was rushed to Tauranga Hospital in a serious condition, Senior Sergeant Shannon Clifford of Tauranga Police said.
![The scene of the accident. Photo / Daniel Hines](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/5TC4W5LF3ILLJVLY2UBXY4VPIU.jpg?auth=1b5546434a48d7ff1e89cbbab6126a43edb6578347294a1f53864a5923b6eadb&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
"The elderly driver of the vehicle is suspected to be suffering a medical condition and has also been taken through to Tauranga Hospital in a serious condition," he said.