Teenager critical after fiery crash

A teenager was in a critical condition last night after two cars collided and one spun off the road and burst into flames.

The 18-year-old suffered head injuries when the car he was a passenger in went out of control, left the road and caught fire in Te Kaha, in the Bay of Plenty.

Emergency services at the scene said it appeared that one car had failed to stop as it was coming out of a side road - hitting the other vehicle square on the side.

The teenager - who was in the back seat - was with two others in the car.

He suffered severe head injuries and the TrustPower TECT helicopter flew him to Tauranga Hospital.

The holiday road toll has so far stayed relatively low with two people killed on the roads.

One person was killed after a three-car smash near Ward, just southeast of Blenheim, at 2pm yesterday.

Emergency services arrived at the scene on SH1 at the intersection of Ward Beach Rd, about 45km southeast of Blenheim, where a 71-year-old man died at the scene.

Two other people - a 40-year-old man and his 40-year-old wife - suffered moderate injuries.

The other person killed was Paul McLaughlin, of Ngaruawahia, who died in the early hours of Christmas Day when the car he was in clipped a guardrail and crashed down a steep bank on SH1 at Hopuhopu - about 3km southwest of Taupiri, in the Waikato.

The official holiday road toll period began at 4pm on Christmas Eve and will end at 6am on Tuesday, January 5.

Last year 25 people were killed on the roads in that period, with 82 people seriously injured and 373 suffering minor injuries as a result of a car accident.

Three people were also left in critical conditions last night after two cars collided in Whangarei late yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services found three people severely injured at the intersection of Tatton Rd and Mangakahia Rd.

Two had managed to scramble free and were taken to Whangarei Hospital suffering from severe head injuries.

The pair's friend, who was trapped in the car, suffered critical injuries and police last night said paramedics were still at the scene working to revive the victim.

Police communications inspector Lou Alofa said the Serious Crash Unit would investigate the incident.