German tourists recovering after collision with truck in Dargaville

Two German tourists are on the mend after this van collided with a truck in Dargaville and ended up in a ditch. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Two German tourists injured when their van collided with a truck while leaving their first day of a job at Dargaville are recovering well.

The two women in New Zealand for less than a fortnight were seriously injured in the crash on their first day of work.

Warren Suckling, also known as Ernie, from the farm-visit attraction Kumara Box said the women in their mid-20s had just started working at the business located on Pouto Rd, and were leaving about 10.30am on Tuesday.

Their van pulled out into the southbound lane from the Kumara Box and collided with a southbound truck heading towards Te Kopuru, on a long section of straight road. The van then ended up on the other side of the road in a ditch.

The front-seat van passenger was able to free herself but the driver had to be cut free by volunteer firefighters from Dargaville and Te Kopuru. Two rescue helicopters were used to transport the women to Whangarei Hospital.

One of the women was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in a serious but stable condition while the other woman was in a stable condition on one of the wards.

A Northland DHB spokeswoman said both women had recovered remarkably well from their injuries and yesterday the first woman was moved from the ICU to an orthopaedic ward while the other woman was discharged. Police are still investigating the crash.