An elderly female driver has been seriously injured when her car plunged six metres from a carpark.

The 83-year-old woman sustained serious injuries when the car fell from the building at a shopping centre in Tweed Heads about 11.45am on Wednesday, after a minor collision with another vehicle, police said.

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“She drove on at speed and crashed through the safety barrier, plummeting six metres, continued to drive forward for another 100 metres before crashing into an outdoor barbeque area and coming to a stop,” police said.

“She was assisted out of the vehicle by members of the public and was taken by Ambulance Paramedics for treatment.”

The woman remained in a critical condition at Tweed Heads Intensive Care Unit on Thursday morning.

Police are investigating the crash.