Overtaking threw car 'out of control'

Police investigating the horror crash that killed four Hastings teenagers say the car went out of control just after overtaking.

Their deaths were among eight reported on the country's roads at the weekend.

The crash on Windsor Ave, Hastings, happened about 11pm on Friday in fine, dry weather.

Those killed were Dylon Scott Brittin, 16, Michael Neil Jefferies, 16, Che Orbell, 17, and Alex Scales, 14.

Two other teenagers in the car were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Senior Sergeant Ross Smith of Hastings said the car had been travelling at speed along the road, which had a 50km/h speed limit.

"They've gone along the road - it's quite a long, straight road - and overtaken a vehicle at high speed. They've cut back in front of that vehicle and lost control."

They might have cut back because as they overtook they saw another vehicle come up to an intersection.

Mr Smith said police had talked to the drivers of both the overtaken vehicle and the one at the intersection.

The scene examination was completed on Saturday and the remains of the car, a Mazda Familia, would be inspected today.

He said that while police had said the car was travelling at high speed, investigators would not be able to say how fast until all information from the scene had been analysed.

They had not yet determined who was driving.

In other accidents, one person was killed and a second seriously injured when two cars collided on the road to Auckland Airport on Saturday evening. Police rushed to set up diversions to minimise disruption to airport traffic.

The crash, at the corner of George Bolt Drive and Kirkbride Rd, happened just after 5pm. A witness said one car was cut almost in half.

The injured person was taken to Middlemore Hospital.

Palmerston North police yesterday identified a woman who died in a crash near the city as Lorna Block, 67, of Palmerston North.

She died in a two-car collision about 2pm on Saturday on State Highway 56 at Longburn, 8km southwest of Palmerston North.

Near Cheviot in North Canterbury, two people were killed and another injured in a crash between a motorcycle and a four-wheel farmbike about noon on Saturday.

Gregory David Crisp, 49, was riding the motorcycle with Tracey Michelle Elliot, 44, his pillion passenger, both of Christchurch.

A 66-year-old Domett man riding the farmbike lost a leg below the knee and remained in a serious but stable condition in Christchurch Hospital last night.

- NZPA