Attribute to Detective Sergeant Brian Cameron, Queenstown Police
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
Issued by Police Media Centre