She told the Herald she was driving with her son on SH1 near Mercer and narrowly avoided a head-on crash with a car driving the wrong way down the motorway.
“There were two cars in front of me and a truck, and we all had to swerve out of the way,” she said.
“Suddenly there were headlights right in front of me, it was terrifying.”
Hayley said the car was weaving through lanes at speed – “definitely over 110km/h”.
“I’m not sure how they made it that far,” she added, describing the road as “very busy”.
“I definitely panicked because my son was in the car and I was worried about him.”
She said she and other motorists did not stop after the near-miss, but once she got home the seriousness of the situation hit her.
“I just thought, ‘That was crazy because that could have been me’.”
Police told the Herald the Serious Crash Unit is conducting a scene examination.
A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said two patients were treated at the scene, with one person with critical injuries airlifted to Auckland City Hospital.
Another patient was taken to Waikato Hospital in a moderate condition.
NZTA said SH1 southbound lanes remain blocked between Great South Rd and Pioneer Rd.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area.
More to come.
