Woman left in car with broken leg

This car, with four occupants, left State Highway 2 near Te Karaka late on Tuesday night and struck a willow tree. The car was abandoned, leaving a young woman inside in a lot of pain from a broken leg, firefighters said. Police have an inquiry under way into the crash. Picture supplied

A car with three adults and a baby on board hit a tree alongside State Highway 2 just south of Te Karaka late on Tuesday night.

When fire crews arrived they found an injured woman had been left alone in the vehicle.

FENZ crews from Te Karaka and Gisborne, police and St John ambulance were called to the crash scene near Pitchers Lane at around 11.40pm that night.

“The Commodore car had left the road and struck a willow about 10 metres off the road,” a senior Te Karaka firefighter said.

“If the vehicle had not hit the tree it would have ended up in the Waipaoa River.

“We found a 24-year-old woman still in the vehicle when we got there, in a lot of pain with a broken leg,” he said.

“The other adults had left the scene with the baby.”

The senior firefighter said they were able to ease the woman’s pain and then gently remove her from the car.

She was transported to Gisborne Hospital by St John ambulance.

Police have an inquiry under way into the crash.

The alarm was raised by a road contracting crew, who saw the crash happen and called 111.