A man was cut from wreckage after a car and a van collided in Whanganui on Friday morning.
He and a woman have been taken to hospital with moderate injuries.
The crash happened near a major roundabout on Alma Rd at 10am.
Emergency services have closed part of the road.
Jack Agar, 18, who was painting at the back of a nearby property, was first on the scene.
"I heard a bang, it was really loud. I knew it was something serious and I ran out," he said.
"I saw an old lady in the car, I opened the door, turned the hazard lights on and asked if she was alright.
"Then I ran around to the side where the van was and he was in much worse shape. I called the cops and assured him that he would be alright."
Agar said the man's feet were crushed because the front of the van had been smashed in.
'We do our best but we are in extremely difficult times.'