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A 59-year-old woman died and two other people were injured after a head-on smash near Wanganui early yesterday.
Georgina Maud Mareikura of Palmerston North was driving north on State Highway 3 when her black Honda collided with a red Holden at Marybank about 7am.
She died at the scene and an 11-year-old female relative travelling with her was taken to hospital with minor injures.
The driver of the other car, Christine Wise, a Kaitoke prison officer with two daughters, was in a critical but stable condition in hospital last night after surgery on her ankles and legs, all of which were broken, a broken pelvis, broken ribs and facial injuries.
Wise's husband, Colin, said it took firefighters an hour to cut her from her car - which was the most damaged of the two vehicles - and she was lucky to be alive.
"One of her workmates said you wouldn't even know what make it was," Colin Wise said.
The Wanganui couple's two children Mary and Tracey were distraught about their mother's crash.
"Our youngest is only 13 so she's pretty cut up about it," said Colin.
Witnesses are urged to contact Sergeant Colin Wright at Wanganui Police on (06) 349 0600.
