Pedestrian seriously injured in central Auckland when second accident shuts down Great South Rd

A pedestrian is in hospital after sustaining a serious injury when he was struck by a car in central Auckland overnight.

Emergency services were called at the end of Victoria St West, near Victoria Park, shortly before 2 a.m. after a car was reported to have hit a pedestrian.

Police confirmed that the victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital, understood to be Auckland City Hospital, in an ambulance.

“The circumstances of the accident are being investigated,” said a spokeswoman.

The incident came as revelers gathered in central Auckland for the usual New Years celebrations and the countdown to midnight.

Video footage captured after the crash shows police officers searching for a red car while another officer talks to a nearby man.

A cordon was placed at the site and the area was blocked while emergency services worked at the site.

Meanwhile, a serious accident has closed a section of a busy road in Ōtāhuhu, south of Auckland.

Motorists are told to avoid a section of Great South Rd, between Māngere Rd and Nelson St, which has been closed due to an accident around 7.45am

Emergency services responded to the scene after a vehicle was reported to have crashed into a power pole.

“The sole occupant of the vehicle suffered serious injuries,” police said.

The area remains closed at 9:30 am.

Auckland transport authorities issued an alert telling drivers: “Avoid this route or allow extra time for a small detour.”