Crash on Burgess Hill on SH3 in New Plymouth

Two ute crashes within minutes kept emergency services busy in North Taranaki on Monday.

The first crash, about 10.50am, involved two cars on State Highway 3 near Burgess Park, just south of the city.

Sergeant Rob Keen, of New Plymouth, said a car collided with a southbound ute.

“This caused both cars to be extensively damaged and leave the road,” he said.

The crash partially blocked the road and traffic was reduced to one lane for approximately 45 minutes.

Both drivers were taken to hospital by ambulance with one person believed to be critically injured, police said.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation, Keen said.

About 10 minutes after that crash another ute was involved in a collision on Te Arei Rd East near the intersection with Kelly Rd in Lepperton.

“A ute with a large mower on a trailer and a car have collided in a head on collison,” Keen said.

Both vehicles were extensively damaged and both drivers were taken to hospital by ambulance.

Keen said though he attended both crash sites, emergency services had not been stretched by the two incidents as they were in two different places and as such attended by two different sets of fire crews, ambulance and police.

One person was trapped in their vehicle at the Lepperton crash site and was freed by firefighters.

The road was temporarily closed and though reopened Keen advised drivers use caution through the crash site.