Three-month-old baby girl dies after car clips ditch, rolls in Northland

The three-month-old’s mother and brother were also in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

A three-month-old baby girl has died after a car clipped a ditch and rolled in the Far North this afternoon.

The baby's mother and her 10-year-old son were also in the car when the incident occurred on Kaitaia-Awaroa Road, in Ahipara, at around 1pm today, police said.

The vehicle, a grey SUV, was travelling along the road when it "left the road on the left hand-side and clipped the ditch and flipped on to its side," Sergeant Wally Broughton told 1 NEWS. 

Police say the baby was in a rear-facing car seat in the front passenger seat at the time. 

"The positioning of that baby was probably not the best idea as it should have been the backseat, to be fair, but there was a child in the backseat already, and other property in that car."  

The mother was uninjured in the crash, while the boy is in a stable condition.

Members of the public assisted the family from the vehicle following the incident, 1 NEWS understands. 

Two ambulance and two helicopters went to the scene, with one person airlifted to Northland Hospital in a serious condition, St John said.

Speed was not a factor in the crash, and police are investigating further.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified and cordons are in place. 

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