Five injured in Otago shearers' van crash

A person at the scene of a crash where a shearers van left the road on ice near Lee Stream this morning says all five people injured were not wearing seatbelts.

A police spokeswoman said they were called to the crash at Lee Stream-Outram Rd near the intersection with Lee Stream Rd at 6.27am.

Seven people were in the van when it crashed and five have been taken to Dunedin Hospital, two with serious injuries and three moderate.

Emergency service workers at the scene said the van had just crossed the Lee Stream bridge when it hit ice before leaving the road and tumbling down a gully.

The van ended up resting on its side near a fence.

The driver and a person sitting in a front passenger seat were wearing seatbelts and escaped without injury.

The five passengers in the back were not wearing seatbelts and were all injured.

A van carrying shearers ended up on its side after leaving the road near Lee Stream bridge this morning. Photo / Stephen Jaquiery

Police said there were reports the stretch of road was "very icy".

A St John spokesman said two patients suffered serious injuries and three moderate injuries.

Three ambulances were called to the crash and had left just after 7.30am.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews from Outram and Lookout Point were still at the scene just before 8am waiting for a grit truck to arrive.

The police serious crash unit was on its way from Central Otago.

The NZ Transport Agency is warning of black ice in SH87 between Outram and Middlemarch.