An injured motorist managed to get out of his upturned vehicle and flag down help after the car flipped and rolled into a river near Gore last night.
A police spokesman said the driver struck an icy patch and lost control on Waipahi Rd, east of Gore, just after 11.30pm.
The car rolled and flipped into the Waipahi River, close to train tracks.
Despite facial cuts, the driver climbed out of the smashed car and to the main road where he managed to catch the attention of another driver.
The man, who police say was from Southland, was taken to Gore Hospital.
The KiwiRail control centre had also been told about the crash as the damaged vehicle had ended up near tracks.
This morning the New Zealand Transport Authority warned drivers to take extra care travelling on South Island highways, where widespread ice was posing a hazard.
Ice warnings were issued on sections of State Highways 65, 7, 8 and 94, including popular tourist routes from Te Anau to Milford Sound, Springs Junction to Reefton and Tekapo to Twizel.
