SMASH: 2 GIRLS CRITICAL

Two teenaged Rotorua girls are in a serious condition at Waikato Hospital's intensive care unit and three others are injured after a road smash in Rotorua.
The five Year 13 Rotorua Girls' High School students - an 18-year-old and four 17-year-olds - were in a Honda vehicle travelling to Tauranga about 10am yesterday when their car was in collision with a Toyota Hilux utility vehicle just north of the Whakatane turn-off on State Highway 33.
The girls in the car were Cheyenne Grace, Bobby-Leigh Morrison, Kristi Gardiner, Tui Martin and Adrianne Martin-Ohlsen. A 17-year-old and an 18-year-old were flown to Waikato Hospital, where they are in a serious condition in the intensive care unit. Two others are in a stable condition in a Rotorua Hospital ward and the fifth teenager was being treated in the Rotorua Hospital Emergency Department late yesterday.
Friends of the seriously injured Rotorua Girls' High School students say they have been given a 'wake up call' about the importance of safe travelling.
The crash was the second serious smash involving Rotorua teenagers in just six days - bringing the amount of teenaged crash victims to 17.
It was also the second crash in Rotorua in less then two hours yesterday. A woman was injured in a two-vehicle collision outside Eastgate Business Park in Te Ngae Rd about 8.30am yesterday.
An earlier report had said the teens were on their way to Tauranga to buy ball dresses but a close friend of the victims said they had left school at interval to get spray tans and last-minute supplies for their school ball tomorrow night.
Rotorua Girls' High School students spoken to by The Daily Post said the ball was to be postponed because of the crash.
Principal Annette Joyce could not be reached for comment yesterday.
A close friend of the group, who did not want to be identified, said she and friends received a text from Cheyenne before 11am telling them they had been in a car crash and the car was badly damaged.
Since she was texting, the friend didn't think it was anything serious and thought the group "must be all right".
However, when Cheyenne wasn't replying to text messages or answering phone calls she started to get worried.
"We were ringing her and no one was answering," the friend said. When she realised how serious the crash was, she and other friends went to Rotorua Hospital, where the crash victims were before two of them were taken to Waikato Hospital. Today, the friend will be one of a group of between 15 and 20 who will to travel to Hamilton today to visit their friends at Waikato Hospital.
She said all those travelling would be extra careful on the roads because their friends' crash had given them a wake-up call.
"Just knowing that it can happen ... Everybody thinks that they're invincible, it [crash] does actually happen.
The friend said everyone travelling would be safe because they knew the consequences of mistakes on the road. Before this happened, the teenager said they weren't focused so much on being safe but just having a ride.
The friend said what was upsetting, was the fact that text messages were being forwarded around by people who lived out of town or people who weren't close to the victims saying one of her friends had died.
Even though the messages started shortly after she had seen her friends, she wasn't sure what to believe especially since some were more seriously injured than others. She hoped all her friends would be okay.
Rotorua police Senior Sergeant Denton Grimes said the Honda had been heading towards Mourea on State Highway 33 when it apparently crossed the centre line and collided with the oncoming Hilux.
"There were two occupants in the Toyota Hilux with the passenger receiving broken bone injuries and the driver not requiring any medical treatment," Mr Grimes said.
 Police were investigating the cause of the crash but early indications were that speed and failing to drive to the conditions were contributing factors. At the time of the crash it was raining.
Last weekend 12 teenagers were injured when the van they were travelling in hit a bank and rolled.
Police want to hear from witnesses to the crash involving the Honda and the Toyota Hilux on State Highway 33.
Police can be reached on (07) 348 0099. - Additional reporting Kristin Macfarlane
* JPC crash: Family's thanks, p5
 Police want to hear from witnesses to the crash involving the Honda and the Toyota Hilux on State Highway 33. Police can be reached on (07) 348 0099.
* Crash victim's family say thank you
- Additional reporting Kristin Macfarlane