Police are sending a harsh reminder to young drivers to not drink and drive after two teenagers were killed and several others injured in a horrific crash in Hawke's Bay.
Max Harman, 19, of Hastings and Robert Waikari, 17, also of Hastings died when they were thrown from a van that crossed the centreline and ploughed into an oncoming car on the bridge on State Highway 50 near Taradale.
The van's seven occupants, all aged between 16 and 19, had been to a party before the crash, says eastern road policing manager Inspector Chris Wallace.
The Ford Econovan was seen being driven erratically before it crossed the centreline and smashed head-on into an oncoming car on a bridge on State Highway 50 near Taradale about 2am.
Police have confirmed the 16-year-old female driver of the van had been drinking alcohol.
It is unclear whether the driver was licensed, and whether she was licensed to carry passengers.
The two men killed and another young woman were catapulted out of the van over the bridge into the Tutaekuri River 15m below.
The young men were found dead in the shallow waters while the woman was found on the riverbank with serious injuries.
"We were initially concerned that there were one if not two people unaccounted for from the van who may have fallen onto the river bank. We conducted the searches with police staff, fire staff and a thermal imaging camera with a helicopter to try and locate whether any other persons were missing," says Wallace.
A total of seven people were taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital.
A spokeswoman said that two, the 16-year-old female van driver and an 18-year-old male have since been discharged.
An 18-year-old male passenger in the van is in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.
A 17-year-old female and a 17-year-old male are in a serious condition, and an 18-year-old male and a 17-year-old female are in a stable condition.
"This is a classic example of how youth, alcohol and driving make a lethal combination.
"This crash was avoidable and the result is that two young lives have been lost and several others are seriously injured. It's a tragedy that need not have happened," says Wallace.
A decision on what charges the driver will face will not be made
for some time. The police Serious Crash Unit is
investigating.
