A teenage cyclist riding to school has collided with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, slamming into the truck's bull bar, bouncing on the bonnet and ending up on the road.
The rider, who was not wearing a helmet, has a suspected broken arm and leg.
The 15-year-old was riding down Onerahi Hill towards the city centre when he was in collision with the vehicle, which was turning into Clotworthy Cres about 7.30am yesterday.
The boy was in a designated cycle lane about 100m from the beginning of the new shared pathway for cyclists and pedestrians that leads from Onerahi to Whangarei city.
Constable Joanne Rouse said the motorist in the four-wheel-drive spotted a gap in the long queue of traffic heading into town and turned to go into Clotworthy Cres when the collision happened. The cyclist had been on the left of the string of vehicles.
Ms Rouse said the cyclist's helmet was strapped to the handlebars of the mountainbike.
She said about five doctors travelling in separate vehicles on their way to work stopped to lend a hand.
"They stopped and helped stabilise him with the gear they had," Ms Rouse said.
Firefighters were on the scene to ensure traffic continued to flow during the morning rush.
The accident caused a long tailback of traffic heading into Whangarei.
The teenager's mother and grandfather were called, with the grandfather trying to console the male driver, who was upset and sitting at the side of the road.
Ms Rouse said investigations would continue before police could decide whether charges would be laid.