Three taken to hospital after crash near Hastings

Three people have been taken to hospital after crash in which a van overturned after colliding with an oncoming vehicle-under-tow near Hastings today.

The injuries were not thought to be serious, but police Eastern District road policing officer Senior Constable Andy Clinton said said it looked much worse when emergency services arrived to the road strewn with the vehicles and debris and vehicles banking-up in both directions after the crash on State Highway 2 south of Hastings.

It happened just before 9.45am, when a southbound van and an oncoming vehicle being towed by another van "clipped", and another southbound vehicle appeared to have been unable to avoid the collision.

The towing van was not in any collision.

Mr Clinton said the road between Pekapeka Swamp and Te Mahanga Rd was closed for about 45 minutes while the road was cleared.

All occupants of the vehicles were understood to have been able to get out of the vehicles and while the Fire Service attended there was no need to extract anyone from the vehicles.

One person from each of the vehicles which did were taken by St John Ambulance to Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings.

Police were early this afternoon still trying to establish how the collisions happened.