Young girl stable after midnight nightmare crash

RESCUE: A grandfather tried to pull his granddaughter from a truck cab after the vehicle left State Highway 5 and slammed into a power pole just before midnight on Tuesday. PHOTO/SUPPLIED.

An 8-year-old girl whose legs were trapped in a truck crash on State Highway 5 while a scrub fire burst to life nearby is now recovering in the Hawke's Bay Hospital in a stable condition.

Three children and one adult were injured in a truck crash just before midnight on Tuesday after the vehicle left the Napier-Taupo Rd, slamming into a power pole and causing a large scrub fire.

Passing motorists and truckies heroically pulled the driver, a grandfather, and two young school-age children from the mangled truck before the injured man then desperately tried to free his young granddaughter whose legs were trapped by a toppled power pole.

Downed lines sparked a large scrub fire, which fanned to life just metres from the wreckage, that quickly spread to a 100m fire front and burned out of control along the highway hillside throughout the night.

By the time emergency services arrived at the remote stretch of central North Island highway the young girl was still pinned inside, her legs wedged tightly beneath the dash as flames flickered 5m from the frozen meat truck.

Taupo Fire Brigade acting station officer Sean McAvinue said Taupo fire crews received the call at 12am and immediately set for the scene 50 minutes away expecting the worst.

"It was quite tricky to get her out because we were operating in the blind," he said.

Specialist rescue equipment was used to free the girl who was removed after firefighters managed to get the roof off the cab.

Two of the children, aged 5 and 7, along with the children's grandfather were discharged from Taupo Hospital yesterday after receiving moderate injuries.

The young girl, who was flown to the Hawke's Bay Hospital by helicopter with moderate injuries, was last night in a stable condition, recovering well, a Hawke's Bay District Health Board spokesperson said.

Yesterday mother of the children thanked emergency services and motorists who stopped to help at the time of the crash.

"We want to thank everyone who helped free dad and the children, and get them out of the truck - they did a wonderful job and we are very grateful," the children's mother said.

Rural fire crews contained the blaze before calling off their efforts until daylight; returning in the morning with monsoon buckets.