One seriously injured after car drops 25m near Tairāwhiti-Hawke’s Bay border

A woman's family located her damaged vehicle about five kilometres south of the intersection of Tiniroto Rd and Ruakituri Rd.

A woman in her late 20s suffered serious injuries after her car plunged 25 metres down a bank to land on its roof inland from Wairoa on Tuesday night.

Police, fire appliances from Tiniroto, Pātūtahi and Gisborne and a Hato Hone St John ambulance from Gisborne responded to the incident around 11.45pm.

Police said the incident occurred about five kilometres south of the intersection of Tiniroto Rd and Ruakituri Rd.

“The car ended up perched on some boulders upside down, 25 metres down the bank,” a senior firefighter said.

The Ruakituri woman’s family had searched the area when she failed to return home from work in Wairoa.

A police officer who was also searching found her vehicle and raised the alarm.

The woman told her rescuers the accident happened sometime between 4.30pm and 5pm.

“She was initially stuck in the overturned vehicle but luckily was not trapped,” the senior firefighter said.

The woman had managed to get out of the car but could not travel up the steep bank due to her injuries.

The car the woman was driving went 25 metres down a bank before coming to a halt on its roof on top of some boulders. A senior firefighter said the woman was lucky not to have been more seriously hurt.

She was moved up the bank after being assessed by ambulance officers.

“We used rescue lines and a stretcher to get her up the bank to a waiting ambulance,” the senior firefighter said.

The woman had moderate to serious injuries when she was transported to Gisborne Hospital.

The Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter was also called out, but a spokesperson said it was turned back due to weather.

The senior firefighter said it was a great team effort from all the emergency crews and police on scene.

“It was a particularly fine effort by the newly reformed Tiniroto volunteer fire brigade crew, who were the first [Fire and Emergency] crew on the scene,” he said.

“It shows the value of these volunteers and how they are able to provide invaluable initial care and first aid in these isolated areas.”