The head-on collision happened on the A534 near Holt, Wrexham, on Friday and involved a VW Polo and Dacia Sandero.
A man in his 40s, who was a passenger in the Dacia, died at the scene while the driver of the Polo was airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital.
A further five people were taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital after the crash at about 16:00 BST.
North Wales Police appealed for witnesses.
A crash which killed one person and left another six in hospital is being investigated by police.