Teen in BOP crash leaves hospital

The mangled wreck of the van in which 11 teenagers were injured when it rolled south of Rotorua early on Saturday morning. Photo / Jason Dorday

One of the 12 teenagers injured in a van crash near Rotorua on Saturday is to be discharged from hospital today, while another two remain in critical condition.

The crash, which happened about 2.30am on Saturday on State Highway 5, 14km south of Rotorua, left the teenaged occupants scattered across the road.

All 12 were taken to hospital following the crash, with four being discharged over the weekend.

Another four, the most seriously injured, had been transferred to Waikato Hospital, Lakes District Health Board spokeswoman Sue Wilkie said today.

Two 17-year-old men were in a critical condition in the intensive care unit, while a 16-year-old girl was in a stable condition in the high dependency unit and a 17-year-old woman was in a stable condition in a ward.

Three patients, a 16-year-old girl and two men aged 16 and 17, were in wards in Rotorua Hospital, while a 17-year-old woman was to be discharged from there today.

Meanwhile, police investigations into the cause of the crash were continuing.

Senior Sergeant Brent Crowe said early indications suggested some of the passengers were sitting on a couch in the back and were not wearing seat belts.

It was believed the van was returning to Rotorua from Taupo where the teenagers had been to a party and they might have elected a sober driver.

The van failed to take a left-hand bend and hit a bank.

Two truck drivers, who spoke with police yesterday, might have prevented further carnage when they arrived at the scene to find bodies strewn across the road and turned their hazard lights on to alert other motorist to the crash.

There was a very real risk of further accidents on the dark, rural stretch of road, which had a 100km an hour speed limit, so the truck drivers had done exactly the right thing, Mr Crowe said.

- NZPA