The crash happened in Stone St about 2am yesterday when an out-of-control Audi knocked over a power pole and smashed through a fence.
Police said that after the driver fled, a passing couple found a female passenger unconscious at the scene and took her to Dunedin Hospital’s emergency department.
After being woken by the noise, he said he could see one car in the neighbour’s garden and another in the middle of the road.
‘‘Everyone was piling into it and bolting ... out of one car into the other, and did a runner’’.
He said dangerous driving was not uncommon in the area.
‘‘We sit inside every night and we hear cars coming up.
‘‘The tyres are screeching and we’re waiting for the bang.’’
He awoke early yesterday to an ‘‘almighty bang’’ and then overheard a man saying: ‘‘No. Straight back to your place, bro.’’
But by the time he and other neighbours made their way outside, he saw no-one there.
There was ‘‘mess everywhere’’, Mr Wright said.
The car had taken out about 8m of fencing and ‘‘wiped out the mailbox’’ — he estimated several thousands of dollars worth of damage and mess.
His family had been at the property since 1973 and they had seen a lot of crashes. This one was ‘‘right up there’’.
Thousands of vehicles went up and down Stone St each day — it was only the occasional driver who did ‘‘silly things’’, he said.
Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said a car was seen driving dangerously and at speed along Kaikorai Valley Rd when it turned into Stone St, lost control and ‘‘smashed into a power pole’’.
Positive inquiries were under way and police were appealing to the public for any information that may assist with the investigation.
‘‘We’re probably lucky we’re not dealing with a fatality.’’
