Failure to give way cited as crash cause

A two-vehicle crash at a Cromwell intersection yesterday happened after a driver turning right from State Highway 8B to State Highway 6 failed to give way to a vehicle travelling straight through, Senior Sergeant Craig Brown, of the Southern District Command Centre, said.

An 81-year-old man was driving a Volkswagen, which was turning, heading to Wanaka.

The man and his 54-year-old female passenger were trapped in the vehicle after it landed against a Transit sign, Snr Sgt Brown said.

The Cromwell Volunteer Fire Brigade assisted.

The driver of the Volkswagen failed to see a Toyota Camry travelling from Wanaka to Queenstown.

The Toyota's 21-year-old female driver and her 34-year-old male passenger were uninjured, as was the Volkswagen passenger.

The 81-year-old man was taken to Dunstan Hospital for assessment.