One dead, two serious after Waikato crash

File photo / NZ Herald

One person is dead following a collision between a car and a truck just west of the intersection of State Highway 2 and 25 in the Waikato around 5am.

Senior Sergeant Matt Rogers said two people are also badly injured.

The deceased was an occupant in the car.

A detour is in place at Steen Rd on SH2 to bypass the accident scene, although police recommend drivers take a wider detour at Mangatawhiri Rd, via Miranda Rd on to SH25 at Waitakaruru.

Police and other emergency services are at the scene of the crash, and the Serious Crash Unit is working to determine the cause of the crash.

Meanwhile a 17-year-old man is in a critical condition in Waikato Hospital after he was ejected from the back seat of a car which lost control in Whakatane yesterday afternoon.

The man suffered a serious head injury and was taken to Whakatane Hospital before being airlifted by the Westpac Waikato Air Ambulance Waikato Hospital in critical condition.

Two other boys suffered moderate or minor injuries in the crash.

- NZ Herald staff