Crash closes state highway for second time in two days

Two people needed to be freed from a car after it rolled and crashed north of Christchurch yesterday, leaving the main road between Hanmer Springs and Culverden closed. It is the second crash in Canterbury to force State Highway 7 near Hanmer Springs to be shut in two days, after a person died following a car crash in Hurunui on Thursday. Emergency services were called just after 3pm yesterday to a crash on the road near Mount Culverden, just a kilometre south of the fatal accident 24 hours earlier. An hour after the incident, fire crews were still trying to free two people from a car, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said. They were eventually taken by helicopter to Christchurch Hospital, one seriously hurt and the other with more moderate injuries. The spokesperson believed the injuries were not life-threatening. Hurunui District Council confirmed the road had reopened about 5pm yesterday. In a social media post, the council said there was traffic management in place with a 30km/h temporary speed restriction.