A Danish visitor described as a professional driver faces a day in court after a crash at Meeanee yesterday left a Napier woman in Hawke's Bay Hospital with serious leg injuries.
The crash happened about 9.35am on a sweeping bend on Sandy Rd, just south of the Meeanee Speedway.
The 60-year-old Napierwoman, who was the sole occupant of a Mazda, had been driving north toward Napier when a south-bound late-model SUV allegedly crossed the centre line.
Napier Police Sergeant Ray Wylie said the head-on impact left the woman trapped inside her badly damaged car. She had to be cut free by firefighters.
Police said the woman was "too ill" to speak at length about what had happened.
The driver of the SUV, a 52-year-old Danish man whose occupation was given as a chauffeur, and his two passengers, also from Denmark, received minor injuries.
Mr Wylie said scene investigations and interviews led to police charging the Danish man later that day with careless use of a motor vehicle causing injury.
The SUV allegedly crossed the centre line while cornering - something police had clamped down on recently, Mr Wylie said.
The man, due to leave the country in 10 days, will appear in the Napier District Court on Wednesday.
Sandy Rd was closed for 90 minutes while crews worked at the scene.
Meanwhile, a Bay View woman had to be cut from her badly damaged car after a collision with a utility vehicle near Waimarama about 4.40pm yesterday.
Sergeant Bob Gordon of Hastings police said the young woman was trapped for about 30 minutes and received a moderate arm injury.
Initial investigations showed the woman's Toyota Rav 4 had pulled into the path of the utility at the intersection of Kahuranaki and Waimarama roads, Mr Gordon said.
Glen Downie, the ute's driver, said he was travelling along Kahuranaki Rd when he saw the Toyota pull out in front of him.
"I braked, but it didn't do much good," he said.
Commuter and beach traffic backed up while motorists assisted the trapped girl and called for emergency services.
