Police say child killed in crash not restrained at time

Police say a young girl who was killed in crash on the Expressway between Omahu Road and Flaxmere Avenue last night was not restrained at the time of the crash. Photograph/Warren Buckland

A two-year-old girl who died after being flung from a rolling vehicle yesterday afternoon was not restrained at the time of the crash, police say.

Senior Constable Corey Ubels said there had been a secured child restraint in the car, and Police did not know if the toddler had been unrestrained initially, or if she had "un-clipped" the restraint.

Police are still investigating the crash which occurred just before 5pm yesterday on the Hawke's Bay expressway half way between Omahu road and Flaxmere Ave.

Police said in a statement this morning that the Nissan Primera car appeared to have crossed the centre line, rolled and ended up in a ditch. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The girl's mother and aunty were taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital with moderate injuries. They remain in hospital today in a stable condition. The young girl died at the scene, after attempts to resuscitate her by ambulance staff and motorists who had stopped to help.

Police said the dead girl's name will not be released until all family have been notified. The girl's family is from Flaxmere.

A witness who had been driving on the expressway when the crash happened said she did not see any other car involved.

The witness said the white car "all of a sudden" veered off the road, rolled, and crashed into a ditch.

Mr Ubels appealed to others who witnessed the lead up to the crash to come forward.

"This was a busy time of day on the expressway and we are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen what happened. We're unsure at this stage if any other vehicles were involved, so any information would be helpful to us," Mr Ubels said
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Mr Ubels said there had been a number of witnesses on the scene after the crash, some of whom had given CPR to the toddler before emergency services arrived.

A Hawke's Bay District Health Board spokesperson said the two others injured in the crash, believed to be the toddlers mother and another female child, were in a stable condition.