Raglan man helps drag victims of fiery car crash near Hamilton to safety

The stationwagon was fully ablaze, fortunately after passersby had managed to drag the 4 occupants to safety after crashing near Whatawhata last night. Photo / Tracey Cooper

A Raglan man helped drag the occupants of a burning car to safety after it crashed, becoming airborne and rolling in a fiery crash west of Hamilton.

Tracey Cooper said he was heading home along State Highway 23, near Whatawhata, after attending a Te Reo class at Te Wananga O Aotearoa's Te Rapa campus when he saw a car's bright lights in front of him.

All of a sudden they disappeared into a cloud of dust. He pulled over and realised the car had crashed and flames had begun flickering from under the bonnet.

As he got to the car the driver - who was later processed for drink driving - had managed to get himself out.

Emergency services at the scene of the crash at the intersection of State Highway 23 and Te Pahu Rd last night. Photo / Tracey Cooper

"I turned around so I could put the car lights on their car and the driver had managed to get out. The others guy weren't too good but we dragged them out and some others had turned up by then.

"The driver was freaking out, which was understandable, saying 'you gotta get out, you gotta get out, the car's burning'.

Two of the passengers were unconscious for a period, while another was walking and talking afterwards, proclaiming to be "okay".

Others to turn up at the scene before emergency services arrived included a nurse and two emergency department doctors, before emergency services arrived.

Cooper said it didn't take long for the fire to take hold and by the time fire crews arrived it was fully engulfed in flames.

It was just lucky the crash didn't happen at 3am when there was fewer vehicles on the road, he said.

The remains of the car which the 4 occupants were dragged from after it burst into flames after crashing and rolling. Photo / Tracey Cooper

A neighbour who turned up at the scene said he had heard a car doing burnouts up the road a bit earlier.

Cooper said police told him the car had been travelling down Te Pahu Rd toward SH23 when it has missed a bend, hit a ditch and then flew about 10m in the air, clipping a road sign before crashing, bouncing and rolling and catching fire along the way.

Waikato police Senior Sergeant Andrew O'Reilly confirmed the driver was processed for driving with excess breath alcohol.

None of the occupants was seriously injured, he said.

The remains of the charred wreckage this morning. Photo / Tracey Cooper