One dead, another seriously injured in two-car crash in Rolleston, Canterbury

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

A man has died and another is seriously injured after a two-car crash in Rolleston, near Christchurch.

The crash was at the intersection of Selwyn and Springston-Rolleston roads just after 8am on Tuesday, a police spokeswoman said.

It was one of three serious crashes in Canterbury on Tuesday.

Stuff understands a man in his 50s died after a silver sedan and a hatchback collided at the intersection.

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The hatchback was shunted across two lanes into a ditch on the opposite side of the road.

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Motorists were asked to avoid the intersection, which was still closed at 12pm, she said.

St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said a person with serious injuries was taken to Christchurch Hospital.

Two fire crews were sent to help with traffic management, and a rescue helicopter had been sent to the scene but had since left, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) spokeswoman said.

Selwyn deputy mayor Malcolm Lyall said the area’s intersections were “black spots”.

Statistics showed that intersections with stop signs in Selwyn combined with high traffic and rural roads were a real concern, Lyall said.

“There are multiple crossroads in Selwyn where a moment of inattention is all it takes for the worst to happen,” he said.

In what was a “continual issue” for the area, Lyall said he hoped the full opening of the Christchurch Southern Motorway, along with new access points and roundabouts being built, would reduce traffic and change people’s traffic patterns.

“I’m gutted to see another death on our roads. The speed at that particular intersection is self-policing due to the high traffic in the area,” he said.

According to NZ Transport Agency crash data, there has been one serious crash and nine minor and non-injury crashes at the intersection of Selwyn and Springston-Rolleston roads since January 2000.

Emergency services were called to two more crashes in Canterbury on Tuesday.

A woman was trapped and seriously injured after a crash between a car and truck on Pineacres corner, Main North Rd, Kaiapoi, about 11.41am, a police spokeswoman said.

The driver of the car was trapped after their car went through a fence and ended up in a nearby paddock, the spokeswoman said.

A rescue helicopter was on its way to the scene and the truck was still blocking the road, she said.

Another woman with serious injuries was taken to Christchurch Hospital, St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said.

Fire crews were working to free the driver, a Fenz spokeswoman said.

The road is closed to northbound traffic between Lineside and Pa roads with a detour in place. The road remained open for southbound traffic, a Christchurch Transport Operations Centre spokesperson said.

An update is expected at 4pm.

Earlier on Tuesday, three cars crashed on the Waimakariri Bridge in North Canterbury.

One person was taken to Christchurch Hospital with moderate injuries, while another with minor injuries was treated at the scene, St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said.