A WOMAN was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition after a head-on crash near Harden on Saturday.
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The woman, believed to be aged about 60, was "severely" trapped in her Mitsubishi Magna for at least an hour before being freed by firefighters.
She was later flown to Canberra Hospital in a serious condition, by the Snowy Hydro SouthCare rescue helicopter, with multiple leg injuries.
Two cars were involved in the accident, which happened on the Burley Griffin Way at Cunningar - five kilometres east of Harden - about 1pm on Saturday.
The force of the collision left the cars crumpled, with the Magna coming to rest in a table drain beside the road.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Harden station commander Wal Leonow described the crash as a "high-speed head-on".
Commander Leonow said crews arrived to find a young girl, believed to eight years old, laying on the side of the road and two women trapped in the vehicles.
He said the woman who had to be airlifted was "severely" trapped by compression and freed by FRNSW crews from Harden.
The other woman, understood to be about 70, was trapped by confinement in her Mazda 3.
An Ambulance NSW spokesman said all three patients were treated by paramedics at the scene.
The young girl was assessed for seatbelt injuries before being taken to Harden District Hospital, along with the other woman.
Both were transported in a stable condition with minor injuries.
Multiple ambulances - from Harden and Young - responded to the accident, with two Rural Fire Service (RFS) units also on scene.
The crash forced the closure of the highway until about 9pm on Saturday, after crime scene investigators allowed the cars to be removed and the road was cleared of oil and fuel.
Diversions were in place via Cootamundra, with motorists using Muttama Road (Gundagai Road), to rejoin the Hume Highway at Jugiong.