Police officers' quick actions save motorist's life after car ploughs into Hamilton furniture store

A police cordon in Hamilton's Te Rapa Rd after last night's crash. Photo / Nikki Preston

Quick-thinking police officers in Hamilton are being praised for saving the life of a man who crashed his car into the Target Furniture building on Te Rapa Rd on Sunday night.

Constables Brendon Veysey and Sam Watson had been attending a domestic dispute nearby when a car travelling north veered across the median garden, ploughing through a steel fence and crashing into the Target Furniture building.

Veysey and Watson were at the man's side within minutes of the crash and pulled the man from his car before performing CPR.

His breathing was deteriorating so constables Christie Welton and Matt Strichen ran to New World supermarket across the road to borrow the Automatic External Defibrillator.

The Hamilton man's breathing steadied and St John ambulance crew arrived and transported him to hospital.

Senior Sergeant Neil Faulkner said the officers kept their cool and their actions were "life-saving".

"Police are trained to deal with critical situations, however there is a big difference between training and real life."

The constables at the scene said the response was "textbook" and they had drawn from their first-aid training for the job.

The intersections on Te Rapa Rd between Sunshine Ave and Pukete Rd were cordoned off last night while police investigated.