Man critically hurt in latest tourist driver crash

Photo / File

A Japanese tourist was critically injured when his rental car and a truck collided near Christchurch today.

The crash came shortly after a group of Chinese people were lucky to escape without serious injury when their rental car plunged 20m into a West Coast river.

Police said the Japanese man's rented Suzuki Swift had been turning right on to McLeans Island Rd when it collided with a truck and trailer travelling south along the road shortly after midday.

He was taken by ambulance to Christchurch Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.

The truck driver was uninjured.

Diversions were in place for three hours while the police serious crash unit conducted a scene examination.

A short time earlier, a 4WD Honda rental car went off a gravel road and crashed down a bank into the Whataroa River on the West Coast.

All the occupants managed to escape before the car became fully submerged. None were seriously injured.

A police spokeswoman was unable to confirm whether or not the four people inside the car, believed to be Chinese, were tourists.

Emergency services have been tasked with retrieving the submerged car from the river.
Police said no other vehicles were involved.