Trio hurt in high speed smash
The occupants of a car which was struck by a utility vehicle in a 100km/h zone on Railway Rd, Hastings, had a lucky escape at what residents say is a dangerous intersection.
Emergency services, including police, fire and ambulance, were called to the corner of Tollemache Rd East and Railway Rd South about 9.15am yesterday.
Three people were taken to Hawke's Bay hospital with moderate to minor injuries.
"There was a middle-aged woman with neck and spinal injuries, an elderly woman who was quite shaken and a male with minor injuries," St John Hawke's Bay district operations manager Stephen Smith said.
Police believe the ute was travelling north along Railway Rd when the west-bound Toyota car pulled out of Tollemache Rd in front of it.
"It was obviously a reasonably significant impact," Hawke's Bay road policing Sergeant Clint Adamson said. "They were lucky that, one, the impact hit the wheel arch not the passenger door and, two, with modern cars these days there were curtain side airbags."
A Railway Rd resident who lives near the intersection, called an ambulance after hearing a "big crash" and running outside to see the crumpled car.
"There have been quite a few near misses on that corner, we have been here two years and there have been quite a few," she said.
Another concerned neighbour felt the speed limit should be dropped to 70km/h along Railway Rd, at least until the residential area turned to rural land.
"I always worry about that corner, there is a stop sign but people don't always take notice of that. They reach the 100km/h area and they do more than 100km/h. The speed limit needs to change."
