A Queenstown man and a Glenorchy man were treated at Lakes District Hospital after crashing their cars in separate incidents within 15 minutes of each other early yesterday.
Alcohol and speed were believed to be major factors in both crashes.
The men were among 13 Queenstown and Central Otago motorists processed for alleged drink-driving by the Alexandra-based Rural Drink Drive Group and Queenstown police, at checkpoints and in cars, between 3pm on Wednesday and 9am on Sunday.
Sergeant Bruce Martin of the drink-drive group said a Queenstown man in his 20s was "extremely lucky to be alive" after a white Japanese hatchback crashed into a rock wall on Goldfield Heights at 2.45am.
The man and his three male and one female passengers fled, but police found them nearby.
The driver had suffered head injuries when he broke the windscreen.
One of the males and the female received cuts to their heads.
"Had they not been wearing seatbelts, we would have been dealing with a fatality, or multiple fatalities," Sgt Martin said.
The other crash yesterday morning injured a 47-year-old Glenorchy man.
He was transferred from Lakes District Hospital to Southland Hospital with moderate abdominal injuries yesterday afternoon.
The man had been cut from the wreckage of his car by Queenstown and Glenorchy firefighters on Rees Valley Rd, near Glenorchy, at 3am yesterday.
Police are awaiting blood test results for both drivers.
Sgt Martin said a decision on charges would be made this week.
No other vehicles were involved in the two crashes.
The highest breath-alcohol level recorded in the weekend drink-drive blitz was over 900mcg of alcohol per litre of breath, more than twice the legal limit.
At least three drivers had their licences suspended because they recorded levels of more than 650mcg.
The majority of the 13 motorists processed recorded 550mcg-750mcg.
Sgt Martin said 17 motorists had been processed for drink-driving when the Rural Drink Drive Group last visited Queenstown, - on the opening weekend of Winter Festival in late June.
"Thirteen is rather a shocking number, considering there were no major events on and it's towards the end of the ski season.
"Out of those 3800 [vehicles checked], we probably pulled over 120 to put them through the second part of the breath-screening test.
"And out of those 120, 13 were over the limit."
The majority of the alleged drink-drivers are expected to appear in Queenstown District Court today.
