1 Dec 2013

Teen remains critically ill after being hit by car

9:42 pm on 1 December 2013

A man has been charged with drunk driving and careless driving after a Rotorua crash which left a teenager in a critical condition.

The 17-year-old remains in the intensive care unit of Waikato Hospital after suffering serious injuries on State Highway 33 near Okere Falls at about 3.30am on Saturday.

A 19-year-old, who is known to the injured girl, has been arrested and will appear in court on Monday.

Rotorua police allege he was also driving while suspended.

They want to hear from anyone who heard raised voices or a disturbance in the area around Whangamarino School about the time of the crash. They would also like to speak to anyone who was travelling on the road early on Saturday.

Emergency services were called to a house on the highway near the school in the early hours of Saturday and found the seriously injured girl on the side of the road.

Both lanes of State Highway 33 are now open.

Two injured in collision

Two people have been airlifted to hospital with moderate injuries after a head-on collision between two cars on the Takapau Plains in southern Hawke's Bay.

The section of State Highway 2 was closed after the accident about 5am on Saturday but has since re-opened. Police believe alcohol may have been a contributing factor.