Teen killed after car hit power pole named

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Police have named a 17-year-old man who died after a car hit a pole near Hokitika on the West Coast early this morning.

Police southern communications spokesperson Rick Jury said emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash on Kaniere-Kowhitirangi Road, Kaniere, about 1am.

West Coast Police Senior Sergeant Tim Crawford said Peter Wayne Gleeson, from Hokitika, died when the car he was driving veered off the left hand side of the road and struck a power pole, knocking the pole down.

The accident cut power to neighbouring properties and the valley.

A 17-year-old male passenger is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

The cause of the crash is not yet known.

Police say the conditions in the area at the time were wet, but not icy.

Serious Crash Investigators are conducting a scene examination and the matter will be referred to the coroner.

- Herald Online staff