Central Dunedin residents have told how they were woken by a sickening T-bone crash in which a teenager was killed early this morning.
An 18-year-old female died after being rushed to Dunedin Hospital when the Ford Laser she was in ran through a give way sign and was struck by a Ford Courier utility about 2.15am.
The car's driver was also taken to hospital, as well as the car's four other occupants.
Police will still not be drawn on whether the car's occupants were wearing seatbelts or whether charges have been laid.
A police spokesman said police were yet to interview all of the car's occupants and some were still receiving medical treatment.
Police are investigating if the Laser was linked to an earlier petrol drive-off in North Dunedin.
A police spokesman said it was unclear if the two were linked but it was forming part of the investigation.
Residents, who rushed to help the six occupants of the Ford Laser, were greeted by traumatic scenes and screams at the intersection of Hope and Stafford Sts.
"It just sounded like pots and pans,'' one nearby resident, who came to the aid of those injured, said.
"I thought someone had dropped dishes and then I looked out my window and thought, 'What do I do?''
She rang emergency services and relayed instructions to her flatmate who provided assistance to the 18-year-old, who was unconscious in the back seat of the Laser.
Another resident said she arrived on the scene from her nearby house to find those involved in the crash "massively in shock''.
During the commotion, the driver of the Laser left the scene, she said.
The driver arrived back at the scene a short time later in the company of a female and a police officer.
Police said the driver fled the scene but was located nearby by police.
The driver of the Laser was assisting police with their inquiries, police said.
The male driver of the Courier - its sole occupant - was not injured as a result of the crash.
Police would not comment on the breath test results of the driver of the Laser or other details of the investigation, including speed.
"We still need to interview people to figure out exactly what happened,'' a police spokesman said.
St John transported the Laser's occupants to Dunedin Hospital's emergency department, St John South Island communications adviser Ian Henderson said.
The 18-year-old female died in hospital, he said.
Another patient was in a serious condition and the four others had moderate injuries.
It was also unclear if all the Laser's occupants were wearing seatbelts.
Police were investigating whether speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.
Dunedin Public Safety Staff, a Serious Crash Investigator from Invercargill, Dunedin CIB staff and a forensic photographer are working on the ongoing investigation.
Victim support are assisting.
The road was reopened just after noon, after being closed while the police pieced together the incident.
