Teens injured after car skids into pole

Two teens were taken to Wairarapa Hospital after a young driver lost control of his Subaru stationwagon, slamming sideways into a light standard on Opaki Rd on Monday. PHOTO/NATHAN CROMBIE

A teen driver and his passengers escaped serious injury after his car slammed sideways into a light standard near the Waipoua River bridge in Masterton early yesterday morning.

Firefighters, police and an ambulance crew were called to the scene of the single vehicle crash on Opaki Rd that happened just before 5.30am.

Masterton Fire Service station officer Garry Nielsen said the teen driver had lost control of the Subaru stationwagon on the rain-slick road and broadsided the steel-reinforced light standard at speed, toppling the fixture and stoving in the centre righthand side of the car.

The driver and front seat passenger airbags were deployed with the impact and the vehicle had virtually bounced over the footpath, coming to rest in a grassed area.

"They lost control on a wet road and were going too fast for the situation, it spun around and hit the driver's door. The side of the car was pushed right in at the middle, halfway through the car.

"It was quite a significant impact and it was very lucky nobody was seriously injured."

Mr Nielsen said a 15-year-old girl was taken to hospital with the teenage driver, although a second male teenager in the car had come through the crash virtually uninjured.

"They were all out of the vehicle when we arrived and all of them got away without any serious injury. Just a bit sore and banged around a little."

The car was towed from the scene later in the morning and an associate of the occupants said they were "all okay" but declined to comment further.