Police appeal for info after fatal crash

Police are appealing for information about the movements of a car involved in a fatal crash in Palmerston North on Saturday night.

The crash claimed the life of 17-year-old Nathan Phillip Conlon from Feilding, and left the 18-year-old driver with serious injuries.

Detective Sergeant Simon Harrison, who is investigating the crash, said the injuries to the driver, a Bunnythorpe man, were not life-threatening.

He was expected to be released from Palmerston North Hospital in the next few days.

The crash happened about 11.50pm on John F Kennedy Drive.

Mr Conlon was a passenger in a silver-coloured 1996 Nissan Silvia car which collided with a Toyota Hilux ute. The driver of the Toyota, a 17-year-old Feilding woman, suffered a minor injury.

Police wanted to hear from anyone who was on Rangitikei Line or John F Kennedy Drive just before the crash and who may have seen the car, Mr Harrison said.

"Police would also like to hear from any member of the public that may have seen such a vehicle in other parts of the city during the course of the night, particularly people who believe the vehicle was travelling in circumstances where the road rules were not being adhered to," he said.

Mr Conlon's death lifted the weekend road toll to two.

A man died after he crashed into a fence in Otara, South Auckland, yesterday afternoon. Police said they thought he had suffered a heart attack, which caused him to crash.

- NZPA