Teenager injured after tractor rolls down bank

Photo / Thinkstock

A teenage tractor driver is in hospital after his vehicle rolled down a small bank and pinned him near a creek on the East Coast.

Emergency services were called to the horticulture block at Manutuke, 20km south of Gisborne, at about midday yesterday.

"The 17-year-old suffered serious injuries to one of his legs," said St John territory manager Shane Clapperton.

The tractor rolled across the youth and he was trapped under the wheels and body.

"He was trapped for about 45 minutes. He was conscious throughout his ordeal and in a fair bit of pain," Mr Clapperton said.

Firefighters from the Manutuke volunteer fire brigade and the city managed to get him out from underneath the tractor.

"While the St John ambulance officers were administering first aid we set up high pressure air bags and spreaders under the tractor," said Senior Station Officer Mike Milne.

"We were able to take the weight of the tractor off his legs and then we slid him out from underneath."

Mr Milne said the young man "handled the situation very well".

He was taken to the emergency department at Gisborne Hospital for initial care, then flown to Waikato Hospital.

"He has been admitted to a general ward," a Waikato spokeswoman said today. "He is in a stable condition."