Car crashes through bridge railings and plunges into stream

Emergency services attend a crash where a car crashed off a bridge on Crawford Rd and into a river below. Photo / Graham Beswick

The driver of a car which crashed through a one-lane bridge and plunged into a stream below is believed to have escaped without serious injury.

The driver of the car lost control on Crawford Rd, west of Tauranga, yesterday afternoon, crashing into the waterway.

Local man Graham Beswick arrived five seconds later. He said the driver was lucky the car did not land upside down "or he could have drowned".

Beswick said the driver was climbing out of a broken side window of the car, in the river, and had suffered what appeared to be superficial injuries to his head.

"There were several neighbours who heard it and came running," he said.

Emergency services attend a crash where a car crashed off a bridge on Crawford Rd and into a river below. Photo / Graham Beswick

Beswick said the road conditions were "quite wet and slippery".

"He's totally demolished the side of the bridge."

Acting Western Bay of Plenty head of road policing Sergeant Wayne Hunter said the driver appeared to be going too fast for the wet conditions.

The car was still in the waterway that afternoon, Hunter said.