Girl, 14, critical after stolen car crashes in Tauranga

A 14-year-old girl has been transferred to Starship after being critically injured in a crash in Tauranga yesterday.

Police are investigating the crash, which happened about 10am at the corner of Bellevue and Windsor Rds when a stolen car hit a tree.

Two 14-year-old girls were injured, one critically and one moderately.

Western Bay Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said the car was reported stolen from the Tauranga CBD the previous day.

"A local officer spotted the stolen vehicle at the Bellevue Rd and Miller Rd intersection and turned around to begin following the driver.

"The officer had lost sight of the car by the time he had turned around."

A few minutes later, the police received a report of a crash on the corner of Bellevue Rd and Windsor Rds and the officer found the stolen car had crashed into a tree.

The occupants were two 14-year-old girls.

The driver is in a critical condition and is in Starship Hospital.

The passenger is in a stable condition at Tauranga Hospital with serious injuries.

The Serious Crash Unit is investigating.

A Tauranga Hospital spokesman confirmed to the Bay of Plenty Times that one of the girls, who was in a critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit, was transferred to Starship Hospital this morning.