Woman thrown 15m in drink-drive crash

File photo / NZ Herald

A young woman was thrown 15 metres from a vehicle following a crash in the Manawatu region early today after she and the driver had been drinking for six hours, according to police.

The crash occurred on Oroua Valley Rd in Apiti around 12.30am.

The driver, a 21-year-old male from the Apiti area, and his passenger, an 18-year-old woman from the Feilding area, had been drinking at a friend's place when they decided to drive home, Sergeant Grant Lawton said.

"There was no special occasion? they had been drinking for six hours," he said.

The crash occurred when the driver failed to take a corner and the vehicle went over a bank and dropped five metres into a paddock.

The vehicle rolled and the woman was thrown about 15 metres from the car.

"It seems this woman was ejected from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries," Mr Lawton said.

The driver, who suffered moderate injuries, contacted emergency services.

The woman was flown to Palmerston North hospital and the driver was taken by ambulance.

Midcentral Heath spokesman Dennis Geddis said the man was treated and discharged but the woman remained in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Mr Lawton said police had requested blood from the driver and no decision on charges had yet been made.

"It is too early to make any decisions at this stage until we know what we are up against," he said.