Second overnight hit and run in Matamata

If investigating one serious hit and run crash wasn't enough to deal with Eastern Waikato Police are now investigating another incident in which a woman only narrowly avoided serious injury.

Constable Leon Sutton of the Matamata-Piako Strategic Traffic Unit said the latest incident happened at Tatuanui about 1am.

"A woman has been driving home to Whitianga from a conference, towards the intersection of SH26 and SH27 when a vehicle has suddenly appeared and basically carried out a moving block, slamming into her Rav 4 and shunting her left, through a hedge, a fence and then a ditch.

"The woman's car eventually came to rest in a paddock and the other vehicle drove off without the driver stopping. I think one of the main things that contributed to the 66-year-old victim escaping injury was she had reduced her speed entering a 70km/h speedzone but she was very, very lucky."

Mr Sutton said one of the first things Police considered was if this incident was in any way related to another drive off from the scene of a crash near Matamata that involved an ambulance several hours earlier.

"We've been able to establish the two incidents are unrelated however we can't stress enough how much of a close thing this second incident was.

"We believe the offending vehicle would have suffered extensive damage to its left side and possibly to its front, it was last seen heading north to the intersection but from there the victim was unable to say where it has gone and she believed it may have suffered some damage to its headlights."