Police name victim of Rakaia Bridge fatal two-vehicle crash

Police are attending a crash involving two vehicles on SH1, Rakaia.

Police have named the man who was killed in a crash on a Canterbury bridge this afternoon.

Christchurch man Ian Adrian Yee, 48, was the sole occupant of the car which collided with a truck on the Rakaia Bridge on State Highway 1.

Yee's next of kin have been advised and police offered their condolences to his family.

State Highway 1 was closed in both directions as emergency workers responded to the crash, which happened at 2.42pm.

SH1 at the bridge has now reopened, police said. The Serious Crash Unit is investigating.

The driver of the truck was uninjured, according to police.

However a St John spokesman earlier said two ambulances, a first-response vehicle and a rescue helicopter attended the crash, and one person was transported to Christchurch Hospital with minor injuries.

Local diversions were in place and the highway was closed in both directions due to the truck having jack knifed. A crane was removing it from the bridge.

Another crash took place a short distance up the road, on Sharlands Rd, at 3.50pm and resulted in further diversions and delays.

One person received serious injuries and was flown to Christchurch Hospital via
helicopter.

One lane of the road was closed and traffic was very slow.