Update: Monday 29th Jan
Emergency services were called to attend a single vehicle crash on the Tarras-Cromwell Highway just after 3:00pm yesterday, Sunday 28 January.
The southbound Toyota Previa vehicle was travelling on a flat straight section of highway when it left the road and hit a large boulder embedded in the bank.
This caused the vehicle to roll, trapping one person inside the vehicle, which caught fire.
While five of the occupants managed to escape, the vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames, stopping any attempt to rescue the person inside.
A small grass fire began and required several Fire Service units to attend in order to extinguish the blaze.
As a result, the road was closed for a number of hours.
A rescue helicopter transported two of the passengers to Dunstan Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, while the remaining three passengers were also transported to Dunstan hospital with minor injuries by ambulance and all five people were admitted overnight.
Although police have spoken with a number of witnesses, anyone who witnessed the crash is encouraged to contact the Cromwell Police Station on (03) 445 1999.
Police cannot speculate on the cause of the crash however the Serious Crash Unit attended and the scene was examined.
A post mortem is to be conducted in Christchurch.
The road has since been fully opened to traffic and the Coroner has been notified.
The deceased will not be named until all next of kin have been advised.
ends
Police can now confirm that the person trapped in a vehicle after a crash on Tarras-Cromwell Road this afternoon has died.
The five other occupants of the vehicle sustained minor to moderate injuries.
The road is expected to remain closed for several hours and diversions remain in place at Dead Man’s Point and Bells Road.
“Serious crash – Central Otago”
Police are attending a serious crash on Tarras-Cromwell Road, Bendigo, in Central Otago which occurred shortly after 3pm today.
It appears that a car rolled and caught on fire.
Five people were able to escape the car but one person has been trapped in the vehicle.
There is no information at this stage on any injuries.
More information will be released as soon as it is available.
The road is closed while emergency services work at the scene.
Diversions are in place at Dead Man’s Point and Bells Road.
The Serious Crash Unit has been notified and will be investigating the cause of the crash.