Two crashes in two minutes - Whanganui emergency services respond

A woman was taken from the scene on a stretcher when a four door red sedan was driven off Somme Pde down a bank this afternoon.

The vehicle came to a halt in a vertical position up against the Aramoho-Wanganui Rowing Club between Gibson and George streets at 2.30pm.

Judith Kenny was getting a new tyre at Cooper Tyres when she heard a crash and then saw smoke billowing from the scene.

"I ran over to see what I could do to help and there was a car over the bank. It was in a vertical position," Kenny said.

"I didn't see people at first, but then I saw two. One seemed not that great, she was just sitting there."

A car has tumbled down thre river bank off Somme Pde.

Emergency services arrived at the scene swiftly having been called from the scene of a crash on Victoria Ave just two minutes earlier.

That crash involved two vehicles outside of Bottle-O, where an employee said she heard a bang while she was working

"There was a guy in a white van, he's drifted from New World across into our carpark," she said.

"The driver in the car that got hit was slumped over the steering wheel and the car was leaking. It's written off."

The vehicle was towed away and the occupants were given a ride home with police.

Car goes over bank on Somme Parade. Photo / Stuart Munro

Both roads were closed briefly but have since re-opened.

A tow truck was retreiving the Somme Pde vehicle.

Motor vehicle accident on Somme Pde Whanganui this afternoon. Photo / Stuart Munro