An elderly Kaitangata woman had a lucky escape after the car she was driving left the road at close to 100kmh, before travelling 80m and ploughing into a tree.
Emergency services were called to the crash just north of Waihola on State Highway 1 about 2.30pm yesterday when the 80 year old woman's Mitsubishi sedan, travelling at close to 100kmh, left the road, crashing through grass and a roadside ditch before hitting the tree.
Senior Constable Steve Griffiths, of Milton, said the woman was ''very, very lucky''. She was taken to Dunedin Hospital with minor seatbelt injuries.
The car's airbags activated when the car hit the tree, Snr Const Griffiths said.
''Once again, wearing a seatbelt has minimised the injury,'' he said.
The woman was believed to have suffered a medical event before the crash: ''I don't think she's gone to sleep,'' he said.
Police expected to interview the woman yesterday, he said.
It was unclear if any charges would be laid.
Fire appliances from Milton and Dunedin attended, as well as St John and two police patrol cars.
• An elderly couple were taken to hospital after a three vehicle incident in central Dunedin yesterday.
Emergency services were called to Queens Gardens about 11.45am after two cars collided. It appeared one of the vehicles involved in that incident then reversed into an oncoming car in Crawford St.
The elderly couple, occupants of the reversing car, were taken by ambulance to Dunedin Hospital with minor injuries, a police spokesman said.
The drivers of the other vehicles were uninjured but in shock, he said.
Mark Gribben, of Dunedin, was driving the third vehicle. By chance, the two older people were his neighbours, he said.
Fire appliances from Roslyn and Willowbank, and St John attended.
Senior Sergeant Craig Brown said the investigation into the crash was ongoing. No charges had yet been laid and police still had interviews to complete.
