Teens die in tanker collision

The scene after a car struck a milk tanker near Blackball, killing two young people among the five packed into the vehicle. Photo / Jules Anderson

A keg of beer was pulled from the wreckage of a sports car which crashed head-on into a milk tanker, killing two teenagers.

Five young people were packed into the car when it apparently skidded across the centre line and into the path of the tanker just before 8am Saturday near Blackball, 25km north of Greymouth.

Ivy Scrivener, 16, died at the scene and a 15-year-old boy from nearby Kumara, who has not yet been named, died instantly from a broken neck.

A witness said the car was "totalled" and may have been going too fast around a corner in wet conditions.

Police were last night investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.

The crash sparked calls last night from academics for a total ban on alcohol marketing.

A 17-year-old passenger also suffered severe arm and leg injuries and was airlifted to Grey Hospital by the Solid Energy Rescue Helicopter.

The two other males, aged 17 and 20, who were in the car were treated in hospital for minor injuries. Family and friends of the Scriveners could be seen crying as they gathered outside her home in Blackball.

Residents of the town said they had heard the car driving up and down the street all night.

Blackball chief fire officer Neville Sheehan said conditions had been rainy overnight, and the roads were still wet. He did not believe the milk tanker was in any way at fault.

"There were two of them stuck underneath the dash, and they were dead. One of them in the back was seriously injured.

"The other two were fine."

One witness, who asked not to be named, said: "They kept stopping at my gate and changing drivers. They were just driving up and down the road all night."

The witness said a beer keg was pulled from the car.

"The car was totalled. There was just so much of the car all over the road.

"The two boys got out and were walking around but the others had to be cut out by fire-fighters. The boy that was badly hurt was taken away by the helicopter," she said.

"The car was on the wrong side of the road. The milk tanker had jack-knifed across the road so I think he tried hard to avoid hitting them."

The tanker driver, in his late 50s, was shaken and was seen chain smoking at the scene.

The road was shut from the Blackball turn-off through to Ikamatua until late afternoon while the serious crash unit was called in from Nelson.

NZ Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said tougher regulation was needed around the marketing of alcohol to young people.

He said: "I want to see a total ban on alcohol marketing. A proven way to reduce drinking is to tackle pricing."

He said it was easy to blame the kids for this tragedy.

"We really need to wake up to the fact we've created this culture. I think young people in this country are growing up with the message that to have a good time you need to get drunk. It's a sad culture our young people have inherited."