The 80-year-old was taken to Dunedin Hospital with rib injuries after the car she was driving was ''T-boned'' by a van at 8.50am, Constable Matt Harris said.
''She pulled out of a driveway and turned right to travel south on Musselburgh Rise, and her driver's door took the substantial impact from the van travelling north along the road.''
The 58-year-old Dunedin man driving the van was not injured.
Both drivers were sole occupants.
Const Harris said the woman's vehicle hit two parked cars after colliding with the van.
''She was in shock and didn't think to put the handbrake on, so ... her car hit two others parked on the street.''
The accident, which was seen by residents, involved no-one else.
A rubbish skip on the roadside near the accident may have partially blocked the woman's view, but it was legally placed, Const Harris said.
Musselburgh Rise was closed between Bayfield Rd and Silverton St for about 45 minutes, as both vehicles had to be towed away.
The van was moderately damaged and the car was ''totalled'', Const Harris said.
A St Kilda fire crew and ambulance personnel attended.
