Five injured, one critically
Cardrona Valley Road has re-opened following a serious crash yesterday afternoon.
One person was critically injured, two people sustained serious injuries and a further two sustained moderate injuries.
"Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing, and Police are advising motorists that the road will be reduced to one lane at for a period of time this afternoon for further enquiries to take place," a police spokesperson says this morning, Thursday, 4 September.
Two Otago Southland Rescue Helicopters attended the crash, which involved two vehicles, airlifting the injured patients to hospital. The accident occurred near Highcountry Lane and Riverbank Road.
"Please plan ahead and allow for extra time to travel along Cardrona Valley Road this afternoon (Thursday)," the spokesperson added
"We wish to thank everybody for their patience and understanding."
It's the second serious crash in less than 24 hours.
Emergency services were called to the Nevis Bluff, Gibbston, at 5.45pm on Tuesday evening.
Otago Lakes Central Area Road Policing Manager Senior Sergeant Steve Watt says investigations are still ongoing into the Gibbston serious injury crash.
However, early indications suggest that an 85-year-old Queenstown woman was travelling back to Queenstown from Cromwell when she encountered sun strike, crossed the centreline and collided with a Toyota ute travelling in the opposite direction.
”Despite trying to avoid the crash, the 40-year-old Cromwell man driving the ute collided with the woman’s vehicle,” Watt says.
His ute rolled onto the driver’s side ending up in the oncoming lane where it was hit by a third vehicle – a Toyota Vitz, driven by a 28-year-old Luggate woman.
Watt says the driver of the Toyota had to be cut free from her vehicle by emergency services and was airlifted by Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter to Dunedin Hospital with an open leg fracture and other suspected injuries.
A Fire and Emergency spokesman says both the Arrowtown and Cromwell Volunteer Brigades attended the crash.
The road was blocked with traffic delays and Police asked motorists to avoid the area and use an alternate route, if available.
The accident was currently under investigation and Watt says no other details are available at this time.
