Ute tumbles 70m on windy Coromandel road

The Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter flew three people to Waikato Hospital last night after their ute fell 70m down a cliff. Photo / File

The passengers of a ute had a lucky escape when their vehicle tumbled 70 metres down a tricky stretch of road south of Coromandel Town last night.

The Toyota Hilux was travelling along Manaia Road in Te Kouma towards Coromandel Town at about 9.30am when it smashed through the barrier and fell 70m, landing on its wheels in a paddock.

An elderly couple and a young child were flown by Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Waikato Hospital.

The woman suffered serious injuries and the man and child had moderate injuries.

A police media spokesman said the first call came in at 9.31pm. The accident had happened between Castle Rock Rd and Te Kouma Rd.

Coromandel Fire Chief John Walker said it was the 10th vehicle that had rolled down the hill in the past four years.

The male driver had lost control while driving down the hill, he said.

"This corner particularly has claimed a lot of vehicles.

"They were very very lucky... They were lucky they had seatbelts on - I would think that's probably what saved them. The chassis parted from the tray. They had a bouncy trip going down there."

The driver had to be cut out of the car and a lines team from the Coromandel Fire Station rescued them.

Walker said the occupants were not from the area and he said the family had a lucky escape, which he credits to wearing seatbelts.

He estimated the ute fell 70m before landing near the bottom.

Walker said there were now two cars lying in the paddock, which often resulted in false calls from the public. He hoped the fire tape would alert them that it had been an earlier accident.

The farmer had also stopped repairing the fence due to the large number of vehicles crashing through it, he said.

"I would think it's most probably the road surface - it's got to be something to do with it. There's worse corners on the Thames Coast than that one is."