'Miracle' escape for woman and her dog in car smash

A woman and her dog escaped injury after ploughing through the Hamilton welcome sign on Cambridge Rd. Photo / Christine Cornege

A woman and her small dog stood on the side of Cambridge Rd in Hamilton shaking as they came to grips with how lucky they were to be alive after a "miracle" car-crash survival.

The driver and her dog, both draped in woollen blankets to keep them warm, walked away from the silver Nissan Liberty station wagon without a scratch, after the north-bound station wagon veered off the road and smashed into a welcome sign on State Highway 1 at 10.40am yesterday.

The car ploughed through the welcome to Hamilton "Appreciation" billboard and brick sign posts at the southern end of the city.

Cambridge woman Christine Carter, the driver of the station wagon, was in shock as she realised her lucky escape. Her dog, believed to be a bull terrier-cross, was also shaking as she spoke to police.

"I'm just thankful to be alive. It'sa miracle," Ms Carter, told the Herald.

Ms Carter repeated how she could not believe that she and her dog had walked away unharmed, but declined to comment further.

"I'm not in a place to talk about it."

She later agreed it was a crash story with a happy outcome, after so many horrific smashes in Waikato.

Ms Carter's son-in-law arrived to comfort her and pick her up after she was treated by ambulance officers for minor injuries.

The pair stood by as emergency services examined the scene and picked up large pieces of glass and metal from the smash, which were flung up to 20m away.

The front window screen was shattered and the bonnet had been crushed into the vehicle, which was later towed away.

The woman, who was sore after the crash, was being cared for by her daughters yesterday.

Hamilton Police Senior Sergeant Andrew O'Reilly said that from all accounts she appeared to be very lucky.

"Sometimes it's in the hands of the gods ... I have seen what appear to be very minor fender benders and they end up dead."

He said modern cars were made to take the impact.

"I have seen cars rolled, bowled and a-holed and people have literally walked away from them. Who knows how these things operate?"

The Fire Service, St John and police attended the scene and police are investigating the cause of the crash. They said the woman was not exceeding the 100km/h speed limit.