Fire crews employed air bags to free a person who became trapped under a campervan following a single-vehicle crash, which left four other people injured, near Omarama yesterday.
Emergency services were called to the scene of the crash at the intersection of Quailburn Rd and State Highway 8 about 12.50pm, after reports the vehicle had flipped.
It was initially reported six people had been injured.
Constable Nayland Smith, of Omarama, said the campervan was travelling south on the highway from Twizel towards Omarama when its driver attempted to turn into Quailburn Rd and the vehicle toppled on to its side.
One of the four passengers was partially ejected from the campervan through a side window and their legs became trapped under it.
None of the passengers was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, Const Smith said.
The person sustained serious injuries of an unknown nature and was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital.
Four others were treated by St John staff at the scene.
The highway was closed for a short time to allow the rescue helicopter to land.
Const Smith advised people to ensure they wore seatbelts when they got behind the wheel, and make sure passengers did the same.
''This was a fairly low-speed, low-impact crash, and a good example of why we go on about people wearing their seatbelts. It's only luck that this crash didn't result in a fatality.''
