A truck driver's quick reactions and skill behind the wheel avoided a serious collision on the Hawke's Bay Expressway yesterday.
About 1.48pm a silver Toyota, travelling south, allegedly crossed the centreline and was in a collision with a northbound truck-and-trailer unit. The car driver was taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital, where he remained in a stable condition last night.
"If the truckie hadn't been so skilled and observant we could have been dealing with a head-on," Sergeant Ray Kirkby said.
"He swerved left, away from the car, and as a result it hit the side of the truck - he deserves a pat on the back."
Debris struck a third vehicle but no one in it was injured.
The truck driver also walked away unharmed.
Police were continuing an investigation into why the car, which contained a solo male driver, had not remained in its lane.
The expressway was closed for about an hour while the accident scene was cleared.