A driver was lucky to escape with moderate injuries after sideswiping a milk tanker and nearly going under the truck in Pukehina.
The crash happened just before 3pm yesterday on a straight stretch of State Highway 2 near the intersection of Pukehina Station Rd. Traffic was down to one lane for a number of hours while the scene was cleared.
The driver of the car, a woman in her 20s, and a child about 2 years old who was in a car seat in the car, were taken to Tauranga Hospital with moderate injuries, a St John spokesman said.
Pukehina senior station officer Ivan Burgener said the empty tanker was heading to Edgecumbe when the driver of a Mazda sedan crossed the centre line and hit the side of the truck.
Four of the tanker's wheel rims were badly damaged, with pieces scattered on the road.
Tauranga police Senior Constable Chris Hills said the white car was in the front of a line of traffic and was travelling under the speed limit when she crashed into the truck.
"She appears to have drifted over the centre line into the path of the oncoming truck. There was no speed involved."
While he could not say what caused the crash until investigations had been completed, Mr Hills said fatigue was one of the biggest issues drivers had to battle at this time of year.
Emergency staff said the driver had barely escaped going under the truck after hitting it.
The driver of the tanker was a long time employee of Omanu transport company BR and SL Porter. A staff member said she was "a bit shaken" from the ordeal.
"She's one of our best drivers with plenty of experience. She pulled off right to the other side of the road when she saw the car coming towards her."