The witness, who had been sitting near the Robbie Burns statue at the top end of the Octagon, said he heard a ‘‘loud boom’’ and then saw pieces of metal flying into the air.
‘‘It was like it happened in slow motion.’’
The crash occurred between a four-wheel-drive and a smaller car.
The witness said it appeared to him the driver of the four-wheel-drive ‘‘lost their brakes’’ approaching the Octagon from upper Stuart St and had tried to avoid hitting the car in front, which had stopped at the top of the Octagon for the driver to look right before turning.
The four-wheel-drive scraped the side of a concrete planter next to St Paul’s Cathedral in Stuart St before crashing into the back of the car, he said.
‘‘Her car [the vehicle in front] spun around one or two times, and I just ran.’’
Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and St John responded. Fire crews had to remove the roof of the car to free a trapped occupant.
Police said they were notified of the crash about 7.10pm.
Two fire crews, one from Dunedin City Station and one from Lookout Point, were at the scene.
Both vehicles ended up almost entirely off the street, one right beside the statue and the other on a small garden near a tree.
The details of those involved in the crash were not available last night.
