A group of people are being praised for rescuing a man trapped in a burning car in Orewa, north of Auckland.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
An off-duty policeman and Shortland Street actor Pua Magasiva were among those who came to the aid of the driver yesterday.
Pua Magasiva Photo: NZ On Screen / Screenshot
Police said the 28-year-old driver, who was alone in the car, crashed into a tree on the Hibiscus Coast Highway.
He was knocked unconscious, his chest pinned by the steering wheel and his leg impaled by one of the car pedals.
The police said a man who was passing in his campervan stopped and spent the next minute trying to wake the unconscious driver.
By the time the off-duty policeman and other people, including Mr Magasiva, came to help, the engine of the car had erupted into flames.
The group managed to rip the steering wheel off and pulled off the pedal that was trapping the driver's leg.
They eventually got him out of the car and dragged him about 30m to safety.
The driver was taken to hospital in a critical condition. He has since had surgery, and was in a stable condition in Auckland Hospital.
Acting Inspector Jason Homan said the driver would have died without the group's help.
"These were ordinary folk doing everyday things, who have been thrust into a situation where they have had to make a decision to stop and help someone in dire need.
"We hear a lot of bad things in our line of work, but it's things like this that remind us that there are a lot of good people out there," he said.
A map shows the location of the Hibiscus Coast Highway north of Auckland. Photo: Google Maps