Thirteen people were treated for injuries after a crash between a car and a van on the Waikato Expressway, just 1km south of the Meremere Dragway this afternoon.
The vehicles crashed before 1pm today, leaving two people trapped in the wreckage.
St John Northern duty centre manager Norm Ngatai said paramedics treated 13 people at the scene, but only four were taken to hospital.
A person with spinal injuries was airlifted to Waikato Hospital, while a person with moderate injuries and another with minor injuries were transported by ambulance to Waikato Hospital. A fourth person with moderate injuries was taken to Middlemore Hospital.
The NZTA is advising motorists to avoid the area and has warned there could be long delays. The southbound lanes on the Waikato Expressway near Meremere are closed and southbound traffic is being diverted to share the northbound lanes.
