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Two teenage boys are in a serious condition in Auckland Hospital after their speeding car smashed through a traffic light and into an electric transformer, narrowly missing pumps at a petrol station.
The Nissan Skyline was believed to have been racing two other cars down Waipuna Rd early yesterday before the driver lost control in slippery conditions and careered through the petrol station, flipping onto its roof. It smashed into a shop wall. One person was trapped inside the car and had to be cut free by emergency services.
Police said the car could have been going up to 100km/h in a 50km/h zone, given the force with which it smashed through the traffic light.
Witness Amanda Molia was walking home from work when she saw the car come racing past her. She said it was going extremely fast.
"I heard the screeching skidding noise and then it hit the curb and flipped over and hit the power box. We saw the spare tyre flying down the road. It was hard to look because there were a lot of shoes on the ground. I thought they were dead. As soon as I saw the state of the car I thought there's no way anyone survived," said Molia.
She said the car was in horrific condition and the two youths were in a very bad way. They were unable to speak initially but soon the passenger started to panic.
"He was calling 'just pull me out, pull me out'," said Molia. "It was bloody shocking - they're lucky to be alive."
Police are taking blood alcohol tests but don't know if the pair had been drinking. Molia said she saw some beer bottles beside the car but couldn't tell if they were there beforehand.