Northland Regional Council deputy chairman Jack Craw is grateful his son-in-law and young grandson are alive following a crash in Northland that claimed the life of another driver.
The two-vehicle crash happened on Ngunguru Rd, near Glenbervie, Whangārei, about 5.50pm on Saturday.
The driver of the other car, a woman in her 50s, died at the scene.
Craw’s son-in-law and 2-year-old grandson received moderate injuries and were taken to Whangārei Hospital, where they remained overnight.
Craw said the pair, who were on their way from Glenbervie to his place for dinner, were still in hospital recovering.
He posted on social media that his son-in-law suffered “massive seatbelt bruises and a fractured pelvis”, while his grandson suffered “a huge bruise on his forehead, a bloody nose and nasty seatbelt bruises”.
Craw said he was grateful for the seatbelts and the “best child seat you can get.
“We are so lucky. Thanks to wonderful work by police, fire and ambulance officers.”
Police serious crash investigator Senior Constable Jeff Cramp said a driver heading east along Ngunguru Rd near Rockingham Rd pulled out to pass a Nissan and “failed to see an oncoming car coming west".
“There was a head-on crash, and the sole female driver of the car doing the overtaking died.”
Cramp said the woman was believed to be from Whangārei and was on her way to work.
The road was straight but there was a “dip” at the end, and there were double no-passing lines, he said.
“Everyone was wearing seatbelts including the driver who died. All airbags were activated.
“Lessons to be learned are just because you drive a road on a regular basis... complacency can lead to an absolute disaster.
“Complacency is trouble. Never take anything for granted, just try and stick to the rules of the road.”
The road was closed while emergency services were at the scene and has since been reopened.
