A new feature on the Apple iPhone potentially saved lives in north Canterbury this morning, after a tractor collided with a ute on a rural stretch of road near Rangiora.

Emergency Services were called to the scene of the crash at around 9am, they were alerted to the incident after an Automatic Crash Detection notification was sent to police.

“The phones can tell if there’s been an impact and it came through as a notification,” said Simon Lyford, Fire and Emergency Shift Manager.

“It’s only on the Apple iPhones, people need to have it turned on but it will come through to police - a computer-generated voice will give a longitude and latitude of the crash and say it’s detected a crash.”

A score of emergency service vehicles was at the scene of the collision by 9.30am, photos taken show a crumpled grey vehicle and a trailer that has come dislodged.

Nearby, an upturned tractor lies blocking both lanes.

Police confirmed that three people had suffered varying degrees of injuries, the worst being one person who had been moderately injured by the crash.

“Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are under way,” said local police.

Lyford confirmed to the Herald that three patients were being treated, their conditions are unknown at this stage. Photo / George Heard

According to a photographer at the scene, the rural section of Upper Sefton Rd was completely blocked to traffic, and fire crews had cutting equipment out.

Members of the public have stepped in to help with traffic control, turning away cars travelling towards the crash.

“It looked messy up there,” the photographer said.