Three dead after horror weekend on roads

Three people are dead and four others are in intensive care, after a bad weekend on the roads.

Christchurch police are investigating the cause of a fatal two-car crash on Springs Road in Hornby at about 4pm today.

One person died at the scene, however police had no information on the victim.

"At this stage we can't rule out a medical event, but that will form part of the investigation," Inspector Rick Jury said.

An Auckland family is preparing to turn off their father's life support system after a "tragic" accident with a roading grader today.

Mark Vernon was operating the grader on Maxted Road, Ramarama when he lost control of the machine and was forced to jump from it.

In the process he hit his head and was rushed to Middlemore Hospital where he is on life support in intensive care.

A crash on Shifnal Drive in Manukau early today (Sunday) left four men injured.

Two of them are in Auckland Hospital. A 19-year-old is in a stable condition and a 23-year-old is critical but stable - and two others are critical in Middlemore Hospital.

The police serious crash unit is investigating.

Two people were flown to Taranaki Base Hospital when their car skidded on ice and crashed at Mokau about 8am today.

A 39-year-old man is "doing well" in Tauranga Hospital's intensive care unit after a head-on car crash yesterday killed a nephew and uncle.

Turuki Kereopa, 17, and Katiana Kereopa, 37, were driving home after a family tangi when their Honda sedan collided with the Toyota Hilux of Tom Kupa, 39, on State Highway 2 at Nukuhou near Whakatane, about 7am.

Kupa, a cousin to Turuki and Katiana, was cut from his mangled ute and flown by the Trustpower TECT rescue helicopter to Tauranga Hospital for surgery.

He was in a serious but stable condition in the intensive care unit this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in another crash which left another man fighting for his life in New Plymouth Hospital.

The crash, on Blake St in Waitara, was one of three serious accidents yesterday morning.

New Plymouth police said three men in their mid-20s were in a car that hit a truck and trailer unit parked on the suburban street just before 5am. The driver suffered serious head injuries and was in Taranaki Base Hospital in a serious condition tonight.

His passenger was also taken by ambulance to the hospital with serious injuries.

Three people were in a crash an hour earlier on Whareora Rd, near Whangarei. A 28-year female passenger had to be cut from a car after it spun and collided rear-first into a power pole.

By Herald on Sunday and APNZ Staff