A 22-year-old Dunedin woman is dead after her car was involved in a head-on collision as she tried to overtake a freight truck on State Highway 1 near Gore yesterday morning.
Senior Sergeant Steve Gregory, of Gore, said Jamie Michaela Banks was travelling south from Dunedin when her vehicle crossed the centre line, just south of Pukerau, 15km east of Gore, about 6.45am.
Her car struck an Invercargill City Council car, carrying two staff members, travelling north.
The male driver and male passenger, both from the council planning department, were heading to Dunedin for a fire safety course.
They received chest injuries and were in a stable condition last night.
The passenger was taken to Southland Hospital, Invercargill, where he underwent surgery yesterday afternoon, while the driver was treated at Gore Hospital and was expected to be discharged last night.
Visibility at the time of the crash was poor, with dark skies and rain, and spray from the truck may have also hampered the young woman's vision, police said.
State Highway 1 was closed until about 11.30am while a scene examination was carried out.
