Passers-by dash to rescue boys in crash

‘‘We got the kids out through the tailgate, we managed to get them out from where they were buried underneath mum, who pretty much lost her face, poor woman.

‘‘From there, there was no way I was going to attempt to remove the adults because they were obviously in a bad way.’’

The driver looked badly hurt, ‘‘so I just stayed inside the vehicle and did what I could to keep them comfortable’’.

Mr Davey, a Khandallah project manager with some first aid experience, said he guessed the driver might have had some sort of seizure or heart attack.

Another witness said he saw the car weaving in and out of its lane and on to the shoulder for about half a kilometre. It also clipped another car.

Then it suddenly accelerated before swerving into the service station. The next thing he saw was the car up the bank with smoke pouring out of it.

The witness said he called 111 as others were helping the injured passengers.

Wellington Free Ambulance said the 60-year-old driver was in a critical condition with head and chest injuries. He was flown to Wellington Hospital by a Life Flight Trust rescue helicopter while the others were taken to Wellington and Hutt hospitals by ambulance.

A 44-year-old man suffered serious head injuries and arm fractures. He was in a serious condition last night.

A 16-year-old girl was also in a serious condition with facial and internal injuries and a fractured arm.

A four-year-old boy was in a serious condition with back, neck and internal injuries and a nineyear-old boy suffered moderate spinal injuries.

Sergeant Mark Moody of the Wellington strategic traffic unit praised members of the public who were first on the scene.

‘‘They were able to extinguish a small fire in the car’s engine and extricate the two boys. Their actions may well have saved lives.’’