Fire and Emergency New Zealand Waikouaiti Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer David McLeod said his crew were the first emergency services personnel to arrive at the crash scene on State High way 1 just before midnight on Thursday.
When he arrived, an injured man, who was alone, was outside a ute that had crashed in a ditch.
The ute appeared to have hit something before it entered the ditch, Mr McLeod said.
The crew tried to resuscitate the man, moments before an ambulance arrived.
"But he didn’t make it ... it’s not good to have two [fatalities] in three weeks in our area — it’s not good at all."
Janis Byrne (60), of Karitane, was killed in a two-car collision on State Highway 1 about 5km south of Waikouaiti on June 23.
The fatality in Waikouaiti raises the toll on Otago and Southland roads to 22 this year.
Mr McLeod asked motorists to "slow down and drive to the weather conditions".
"We have had some wicked ice and frosts and people aren’t slowing down ... people need to slow down. There have been too many [crashes] in the area
lately."
He attended another crash in the district on Wednesday when a car hit a cattle beast in Goodwood.
St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said two ambulances were sent to Goodwood Rd about 11.40pm.
Four people were injured, one of them seriously, and were taken by ambulance to Dunedin Hospital. The cattle beast was killed.
In a statement yesterday, police said the serious crash unit was investigating the cause of the crash in Waikouaiti.
The highway was closed, and traffic diverted, until 10.30am yesterday.
