Tourist pinned by car while taking photo in South Island

The woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries to her lower legs. Photo / James Allan

An overseas tourist driving on one of New Zealand's most scenic roads was pinned between her car and a barrier after she got out to take a photo and forgot to put the handbrake on.

Emergency services were called to South Island's Glenorchy Rd to Queenstown at 5.32pm yesterday when a 37-year-old female tourist got out of her car to take a photo, police confirmed.

However she failed to put the handbrake on properly and the car rolled towards her, pinning her between the vehicle and a guard rail, Senior Sergeant Gavin Briggs said.

Ambulance and two fire trucks attended the scene to free the woman and she was taken to Queenstown Lakes District Hospital with minor injuries to her lower legs, southern ambulance communications shift manager Bruce Chubb said.

Mr Briggs said the woman was travelling solo and was the only occupant of the car.

James Allan, a photographer at the scene, said it looked as though the woman's leg was crushed from the opened car door as the vehicle rolled down.

Fire, police and ambulance all attended the accident scene, and traffic was backed up as both lanes on Glenorchy Rd were closed, Mr Allan said.

This was because emergency services had set up equipment to stop the car from rolling further down the road.