Teen died fleeing police in Hamilton

The scene of the crash in River Rd, Claudelands.

An 18-year-old man died in a crash in Hamilton this morning while fleeing police.

A police officer signalled for the man to pull over because of how he was driving.

He did not stop and a crashed into a tree on River Rd, just north of Oakley Ave, Claudelands, a short time later, police said.

However, a local believes police should have stopped the chase before the car rounded the bend as the road was wet and slippery at the time.

The driver was the only person in the car.

Emergency services were called to the crash about 3am. The man had died by the time ambulance staff arrived.

The resident said he was "pissed off" with police for chasing the car "down [River] road, round that dangerous corner in wet conditions".

"They didn't back off, I heard the crash from my room, I just live over there and I said to my wife, 'someone's been killed'."

Debris from a tree which a car crashed into, killing its driver, litters River Rd, Hamilton this morning. Photo/Belinda Feek

The resident said people crashed going around the corner when it was damp even without being chased.

"He's probably been hooning, I've got no doubt about that, but why did they chase the guy in the first place and why didn't they just back off? It was 3am. What did the guy do wrong? I mean he's only 18 years old. He doesn't know how to drive and they drove him into that corner where it's slippery."

The man said he heard a crunch and "knew straight away someone was being chased and that they were dead".

"It wasn't a thud, it was a crunch."

It wasn't the first time he'd seen a police chase.

"I live on this road and I see them chasing them people going 100 miles an hour like they're Dukes of Hazzard, you know."

Diversions are in place on River Rd around Oakley Ave while the Serious Crash Unit investigates.