Two men are in Hawke's Bay Hospital with critical and serious injuries after a van carrying forestry workers crashed on a rural road near Tuai in Northern Hawke's Bay late this morning.
Emergency services were called to the crash at 11.15am on Patunamu Rd near Tuai, a small rural settlement 52km northwest of Wairoa. Police say the driver of the van appeared to have lost control on a moderate left-hand bend, over-corrected and the van rolled at least twice. The piece of road had been freshly-graded.
A 30-year-old male is in a critical condition with head and chest injuries, while a 26-year-old man is in a serious condition with chest injuries. Both were flown from the isolated site by the Lowe rescue helicopter. The driver received minor injuries and was transported to Wairoa Hospital by road ambulance.
The three Fijian men were working in a forestry crew, believed to be based in Wairoa.
The Gisborne Serious Crash Unit is investigating the crash.
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