A girl, 6, suffered multiple fractures to her legs when she was pinned between a vehicle and a fence post near Ashburton.

A Garden City Helicopters spokesman said the firm was called to a Mulligans Rd, Maronan, farm southwest of Ashburton about 2pm on Sunday. He understood the girl was standing beside a gate as her mother drove a four-wheel-drive vehicle and trailer through it.

The vehicle skidded in mud and caught the girl between the it and the fence post. The mother was "extremely distraught . . . almost inconsolable", the spokesman said.

"The wee kid was in quite a serious way. She had multiple fractures on both legs."

He said she was lucky she did not go under the vehicle.

"It sounds like she was on the driver's side, and mum was able to grab her and stop her going under the vehicle. She was very, very lucky."

He said he did not want to think what would have happened if she had gone under the vehicle.

"The outcome wouldn't have been good. It could've been tragic." The girl was "stoic".

"She was tougher than a lot of adults with lesser injuries than what she had."

Two ambulances also attended the incident. The girl was flown to Christchurch Hospital.

- © Fairfax NZ News