Crashes claim two lives

Two people are dead after two crashes on Waikato roads at the weekend – at opposite ends of the region.

Motorists witnessed a bad crash just east of Taupo yesterday afternoon that left one person dead and a truck driver shaken.

A section of state highways 1 and 5 had to be closed after the head-on collision that left a car wedged firmly under a truck and trailer unit.

Senior Sergeant Fane Troy said the identity of the dead driver was still being confirmed late last night.

Earlier, on Saturday afternoon, a teenage girl was crushed to death behind the wheel of her south-bound car when it collided with a northbound vehicle on State Highway 2 near Maramarua.

In yesterday’s crash, the car may have veered into the path of the northbound truck, police said. The road was understood to be wet at the time of the incident.

Mr Troy said several motorists saw the crash, which happened just after 3.30pm on the eastern arterial road not far from Taupo.

Taupo St John operations team manager Graeme Harvey said the driver of the truck was uninjured but ‘‘obviously very upset and shaken’’.

In Saturday’s crash, the right wheel of the 17-year-old’s car was ripped off in a collision that left a 15-metre trail of debris.

The 45-year-old-female driver of the north-bound car was seriously injured and flown by Westpac rescue helicopter to Auckland Hospital.

The 17-year-old’s 22-year-old male passenger was taken to Thames Hospital with moderate injuries.

Police have not yet named the dead driver, her passenger or the driver of the other car.

Thirteen people have died, and 22 suffered serious injuries, on State Highway 2 between 2005 and 2010 and the speed limit was lowered to 90kmh at the end of last year to improve safety.

Waikato road policing manager Leo Tooman was frustrated by the Maramarua crash.

‘‘The trouble is they call it the Highway of Death and no matter what they do [to improve the road] you can’t change it,’’ Mr Tooman said.

‘‘There’s been a huge amount of work done up there – it’s a 90kmh zone – and yet they still call it the Highway of Death unfairly and it’s stuck.’’

Mr Tooman said it appeared one of the cars had crossed the centre line causing the collision.

‘‘That central line is there for a reason and if you cross it, as has been shown in this case, you don’t get a second chance.’’

He denied the suggestion that the cars collided in thick fog. A Serious Crash Unit investigation was under way.