Masterton crash in hailstorm

PRETTY BUT DEADLY:Hail builds up on the ground in Featherston. PHOTO/TEODORA

A cyclist was lucky not to have been crushed after a collision with a car that then flipped on its side after Saturday's hailstorm.

Fire crews, Wellington Free Ambulance and police from the Masterton and Carterton stations went to Millars Rd at Longbush about 2.25pm Saturday afternoon, discovering it was "white with hail".

A woman in her 40s had been travelling south along Millars Rd with a group of cyclists when she collided with a car turning the corner from Longbush Rd and was knocked into a nearby ditch.

Carterton fire chief Wayne Robinson said the crash was most likely caused by icy road conditions following the hail downpour earlier in the day.

"At the time we got the call out, the whole area was white from the hail," he said. "The road was extremely icy and slippery."

The car had tipped on its side in the crash, but the female driver had managed to climb out before emergency services arrived.

She was examined by paramedics, but didn't require further medical attention.

"She was pretty shaken, though," said Mr Robinson.

The cyclist wasn't so lucky, being airlifted to Wellington Hospital by Life Flight Trust's Westpac rescue helicopter with a leg injury.

Life Flight crewman David Greenberg said she fell into a roadside ditch when hit, which prevented further injury.

"Because of where she fell, she wasn't run over when the car rolled on its side," said Mr Greenberg.

"If she hadn't been in the ditch, there would have been the potential for much more serious injuries. She was also wearing her helmet at the time, which was good."

Mr Greenberg said the cyclist was conscious on the flight to Wellington, and paramedics administered pain relief.

"She seemed to be doing okay."

He said the road was still wet when Life Flight arrived on the scene around 3pm, and there was "heaps of hail" on the sides of the road and surrounding fields.

Late yesterday, a Wellington Hospital spokesperson said the cyclist was in a "comfortable and stable condition".