Woman seriously hurt, trapped for more than an hour in rural crash

A person was seriously hurt and trapped for more than an hour after a crash near Matata this morning. Photo/file

A young woman has been seriously hurt and trapped for more than an hour in her car after it crashed this morning.

The woman had been travelling along Whithy Rd near Matata when the car rolled about 6am.

Northern fire communications shift manager Jaron Phillips said firefighters were called to the scene but unable to free the woman until after 7am.

She had been seriously hurt in the collision, which involved the car rolling and landing on its side.

Firefighters were forced to remove the roof to gain access to the driver, he said.

The road had been blocked for some time but was now open to traffic.

The woman has been taken to Whakatane Hospital with serious injuries, he said.