Serious State Highway 3 crash south of Turakina blocks road, three critically injured

Three people have been critically injured in a crash on State Highway 3 south of Turakina.

A police spokesperson said they were first called to the crash at 6.05am.

The road is blocked, and diversions are being put in place at the Union Rd and Whanganui Rd intersections.

One of the critically injured people was being flown by rescue helicopter to Wellington Hospital, Hato Hone St John Ambulance wrote in a post to X.

The other two critically injured people were being taken by ambulance to Whanganui Hospital, they wrote.

“The incident was attended by three road ambulances, one rapid response unit, two operations managers and one helicopter.”

Five people have died on New Zealand roads since the Christmas holiday road toll period began at 4pm on Christmas Eve.

The most recent death was the sole occupant of a vehicle in a crash reported to police 40 minutes after midnight on New Year’s Day.

The crash occurred at the intersection of State Highway 26 and Cadman Rd in the Hauraki settlement of Tirohia.

Emergency services are at the scene of a serious crash on State Highway 3. Photo / NZME

Two people also died on New Year’s Eve in separate crashes in the Waikato settlement of Orini, and near Kaikōura in the South Island.

A single-vehicle crash the day before took the life of a person on SH2 in Tangoio, Hawke’s Bay.

And a man who was struck by a car on a Napier street on Boxing Day suffered critical injuries and died in hospital on Monday.

The Christmas road toll period ends at 6am on Monday, January 5.

Last year, 15 people were killed on New Zealand roads during the official Christmas holiday period.