Auckland wood-worker William Longbottom's surgically shifted toe is doing a pretty good job as a thumb.

More than 12,000 Kiwis were injured on our roads last year and the number of those left maimed rose as well.

WATCH: Terrifying moment train driver runs through carriages warning passengers they are about to smash into a lorry.

An arterial route in Auckland has been reopened following a fatal collision between a car and a truck this afternoon.

One person suffered serious head and chest injuries after a ute crashed into a ditch in Waikato this afternoon.

An elderly Hamilton woman whose house was crashed into on Mother's Day suffered a heart attack just hours later, and died on Tuesday.

The woman's black sedan appeared to have crossed the centre line before the crash.

A motorcyclist has sustained serious injuries to his legs following a motorbike and car collision earlier this evening.

A milk tanker has rolled on the Kohatu-Kawatiri Highway in the Tasman region.

The car driver who died in a crash on the lower Kaimai ranges on Saturday has been identified as 29-year-old Dion Pollero.

A child fell through a glass window on Waiheke Island, injuring her arm.

A car has crashed into a house after smashing into parked cars in South Auckland.

A person has died after being struck by a freight train in Mid Canterbury this morning.

A logging truck rolled near Whangarei early this morning, trapping its driver for an hour.

A nine-car crash in heavy fog on Auckland's Greenhithe Bridge is causing some delay for north-bound motorists.

A woman and a man are badly burnt after a gas cylinder exploded in their Hawkes Bay home, blowing out three windows.

The man killed in yesterday's helicopter crash in the Lindis Pass area has been named.

One person has died and one person has critical injuries after a helicopter crash just east of Lindis Pass in Central Otago today.

Two cars and a Hobbiton tour bus crashed in Matamata this afternoon, injuring four people.

One person was taken to hospital in a serious condition after a vehicle crash at Turakina, southeast of Whanganui.

A woman has been injured and a dog has died after two separate crashes tonight.

A rider of a scooter was trapped under a car in Napier after colliding with a car.

A 12-year-old boy has been airlifted to hospital after breaking his leg when a piggyback from his father went awry.

A 12-year-old boy has been evacuated from the Milford Track in Fiordland after breaking his leg.

The thought of never meeting his unborn son fuelled Peter Redmond's fight for his life when he was hit and dragged 20m by an SUV.

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested following a hit-and-run incident in the Wellington region last week.

A 19-year-old has been taken to hospital after she sustained burns to her face at a restaurant.

Waikato police have released the name of an American woman who was killed in a car crash near Matamata on Monday.

Jason Matahiki suffered a serious workplace injury when a meat hook went through the side of his head while working at the Affco NZ Rangiuru plant.