A man was last night fighting for his life in Hawke's Bay Hospital's intensive care unit after a serious collision between two trucks on Prebensen Drive in Napier yesterday morning.
Emergency services attended the scene of the crash that saw a city-bound light truck strike the heavy steel bodywork of a container truck travelling through the roundabout from Ford Rd toward Mersey St near Mitre 10 Mega just after 11.30am.
It is understood the two occupants of the light truck were trapped in the vehicle for more than an hour, the crash's impact crushing the cab and pinning them inside.
Two cars had been waiting at the roundabout for the container truck to pass when the light truck passed them on the outside and headed for the roundabout.
It broke off the median strip's traffic sign before slamming into the heavy steel lower structure of the container truck and overturning.
Firefighters had to cut away the light truck's crushed cab before the two men were able to be rescued and taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital.
One of the first people on the scene later said it appeared one of the men was conscious and appeared to try to pass a cellphone out of the truck for someone to call for help.
Motorists who stopped could do nothing for the trapped pair with the damaged cab effectively wrapped around them.
A Hawke's Bay Hospital spokeswoman said one male was in critical condition in intensive care while the other was in a serious condition.
Firefighters used cutting gear to remove pieces of the cab while St John Ambulance assisted the pair.
The emergency response to the crash was quick, with three ambulances, two fire appliances and four police response vehicles attending.
Prebensen Dr from the Taradale end toward the central city was closed off for several hours but reopened at 2.25pm.