Two teenage girls died in the Manawatu yesterday when their car crashed into a four-wheel drive vehicle - one of two fatal smashes this weekend.
Both were locals - the 17-year old driver was from Feilding and her 18-year-old front seat passenger from Sanson.
The accident happened around 1.30pm close to the intersection of Stewart Rd and SH3, 7km southwest of Feilding.
The girls were killed when their 1987 Ford Laser collided with a late model Range Rover driven by a 54-year-old man. He was taken by ambulance to Palmerston North Hospital with minor chest injuries.
Mark Stratford, who lives on Stewart Rd, said he heard the accident.
"The bang would suggest it was pretty horrific. It was huge."
He said there had been a number of accidents at the intersection.
It was difficult to judge whether oncoming traffic was heading through on State Highway 3 to Sanson or turning to take Stewart Rd through to Feilding.
Lyn Moffat, whose home overlooks the intersection, said accidents occurred with a sickening regularity.
Manawatu Mayor Ian McKelvie promised to look into safety at the intersection next week.
Then at 8 o'clock last night, a motorist was killed in a collision with a truck on State Highway 1 near Ward, south of Blenheim. Police said the truck had been carrying flammable substances and closed down the highway, forcing long-haul motorists to detour via Lewis Pass last night.
In another crash, two people were left critically injured after an accident at the corner of Athenree and Steel Rds in Waihi Beach. A Northern communications ambulance spokeswoman said one person was trapped in the vehicle.
And yesterday morning, a young man was left in a serious condition after being hit by a van in Manukau. Just before he was hit, the man was said to have been in an argument with his girlfriend, Lagi Fruean.
SUDDEN RALLY FOR DANDO
The young woman seriously injured while trying to pull her friend from the path of an oncoming car has made a dramatic recovery.
Helen Dando, 24, was hit by the car about 11pm on Thursday on the Whitford-Maraetai Rd while she was trying to get her friend Jacinta Waipouri, 19, of Pukekohe off the road. Waipouri, who was sitting on the road, was struck and died at the scene. Doctors initially feared Dando had head injuries, but her father Neville Dando said that was now unlikely. She had a broken leg, arm, hand and nose.
- Kathryn Powley