UPDATE: Three people have been injured following a crash on State Highway 2, south of Katikati.
SH2, near the intersection of Thompson's Track, in Aongatete was closed earlier this morning after a caravan and car crashed.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 9.13am.
A SunLive reader who was at the scene of the crash says it appears a car was towing a caravan, when the caravan detached and collided with another vehicle.
It's been reported that three patients were transported to Tauranga Hospital - one in a moderate condition.
NZ Transport Agency reports that the highway is now open, although there may be traffic congestion in the area.
EARLIER:
State Highway 2 south of Katikati is reportedly blocked.
A caller to the 0800 SUNLIVE news hotline says the highway, near Aongatete, is blocked following a crash.
"Emergency services are at the scene.
"It looks like at least two vehicles are involved and people are being assessed for injuries.
"People should avoid the area if possible."
A police spokesperson says they were notified of a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Thompsons Track and SH2 at 9.13am.
"Both lanes are blocked and there are no reported injuries."
Traffic is stalled in the area. Image: Google Maps.
SunLive is working on getting more information and will provide an update when we can.
At the scene?
Call 0800 SUNLIVE or email photos to newsroom@thesun.co.nz
3 comments
Caravan with mind of it's own
Posted on 27-12-2023 14:02 | By oceans
The question has to be asked. " was the safety chain connected?". Was it the right sized towing ball for that caravan? What speed was the driver going? and lastly " was it insured" looks like a nice caravan. So much for someones holiday, and of course the people in the car it hit. The warnings from the police to "SLOW DOWN" doesn't sink in with many drivers. Another words they don't seem to get it. More fixed camera's, more plain police cars and more private motorists using dash cams and reporting stupid driving might help. But you are always going to have people speed no matter what the circumstances.
re the safety chain
Posted on 28-12-2023 13:51 | By tjs01
It likely had a brake away cable instead of a safety chain. Therefore if for some reason it came off it will likely wander a little before pulling up to a stop, so could easily hit an oncoming vehicle
Human error
Posted on 01-01-2024 14:12 | By Kiwi Poet
Re the safety chain. Only ver advanced light caravans have a breakaway system. Many do not have any brakes at all. Likely cause is incorrectly locked on the tow all or very rarely the tongue lock failed. You can actually travel quite a long way if the weight is on the tow all without it disconnecting. When however the connection fails then you have your trailer lashing around violently and it is unlikely that many vehicles would cope with that ending up with the tow vehicle being tossed around with associated loss of control. Human error, excess speed and or weight and mechanical failure in that order are the major causes of towed vehicle crashes.
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