A police spokeswoman said the collision at the intersection of Kennington Rd, Kennington Roslyn Bush Rd and the Woodlands-Invercargill Highway (State Highway 1) was reported about 3.30pm yesterday.
A Hato Hone St John spokeswoman said two ambulances and two rapid response vehicles attended the collision.
Two people were taken to Southland Hospital, one with critical and the other with moderate injuries.
At the scene, a blue utility truck and a white SUV were visible, both spun around by the force of crash.
Firefighters used the jaws of life to free the driver of the truck, which was extensively damaged — particularly on the front driver’s side.
Damage was also visible on the rear left-hand side of the SUV.
A witness said the SUV had been giving way and the truck driver had been unable to avoid a collision.
Both cars had been heading towards Invercargill, the witness said.
Detours were put in place between Kennington and Longbush South Rds while the scene was cleared.
By: Oscar Francis and Toni McDonald
