Tanker drivers' actions praised after serious crash

Two Fonterra milk tanker drivers who blocked off State Highway 1 with their trucks following a serious car accident near Balclutha, have been praised by police for making the scene safe for other road users and emergency services.

Balclutha Police Constable Graeme Ferguson said a car with two female passengers in their 20s heading south, failed to take a bend and hit a tree near Stoney Creek, about 7km north of Balclutha.

Emergency services were called about 8.40pm on Saturday and arrived to find the road had already been cordoned off by the tanker drivers, who were providing medical support until ambulance staff arrived.

The female driver of the car was taken to Dunedin Hospital by the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter in a serious condition, but her passenger walked away uninjured, Constable Ferguson said.

He praised the truck drivers for "protecting the scene".

- NZ