Serious injuries after vehicle crashes into ditch

A motorist had a rough start to Christmas Day, being cut from their car after it crashed into a ditch near Invercargill in the early hours of yesterday. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said crews from Invercargill and Kingswell fire stations were called to the intersection of Mill Rd North (State Highway 1) and East Rd about 1.25am. A patient was taken to Southland Hospital with serious injuries, the spokeswoman said. A police spokeswoman said officers responded to reports of a car being found in a ditch. No injuries had been reported, the spokeswoman said.