Least drunk teen drove, aunt says

Teenagers involved in a horror double fatal smash in Hawke's Bay on Saturday probably chose the least drunk of them to drive them home from a party, a relative of one of the dead says.

Max Harman, 19, and Robert Waikari, 17, both of Hastings, died when the van they were travelling in crossed the centreline and smashed into a car on a bridge on the outskirts of Napier about 2am on Saturday.

They two men were thrown into the Tutaekuri River 15m below.

A young woman who was also thrown into the river survived. She and the four other teenagers in the van were taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital, with one airlifted to Wellington Hospital with critical injuries.

The car driver, Napier man Simon Taunt, 18, and his girlfriend Melody Dane, also suffered moderate injuries.

Police confirmed the van's driver Tamoko Christy, 16, had been drinking before the crash.

Robert's aunt Norma Waikari said the teens had been at a party and were meant to stay there overnight but decided one of them could drive.

"It is terrible what happens with kids and their alcohol. They must have made a group decision, decided who had not drunk too much. The lightbulbs were off," she told the Dominion Post.

Car driver Mr Taunt said he felt "pretty stink" for the people in the van.

"It all happened so fast. It's exactly like those ads they have on TV," he told 3 News.

"I'd seen some headlights going from side to side and I wondered what was going down so I slowed down a bit and then realised the van wouldn't gain traction again and it started coming towards us.

"So I pulled the car to the left and that's when it hit us and rolled over us and I got knocked out by the steering wheel and came awake, realised what had happened and jumped out the window and ripped Melody's door open and grabbed her out."

Police described the accident as a "lethal combination" of youth, alcohol and driving.

They said a decision on what charges the driver would face would not be made for some time.

Two other people died in two separate accidents within half an hour yesterday morning bringing the weekend road toll to four.

One man died and two people were injured in a two-car crash on at an inersection on the outskirts of Christchurch about 11.25am.

Shortly before midday a pedestrian was killed after being hit by a truck in Rotorua's Hillcrest area.

- NZPA