A woman was thrown from a vehicle and died at the scene of a crash on State Highway 1 north of Balclutha yesterday.
The driver, a 71-year-old man, was flown by the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter to Dunedin Hospital in a critical condition.
The couple were from Southland and the crash happened as the SsangYong Rexton SUV they were travelling in tried to overtake another vehicle in a passing lane at Stony Creek about 10km north of Balclutha at 9.15am, Clutha-Taieri area response manager Senior Sergeant Alastair Dickie said.
The vehicle went out of control before it careered into a bank and through a fence, he said.
The vehicle rolled several times before it stopped in a paddock about 30m from the road.