Driver dies as truck plunges on Kaimai's

UPDATED - 1.52pm - The man who died when his truck plunged down a steep bank in the Kaimai Ranges has been named. He was Athol Ian Bree, 61, of Te Awamutu.

Mr Bree's truck left the road on the Matamata side of the Kaimai Summit, taking out a safety rail and plunging 10 - 12m.

The section of State Highway 29 will be reduced to one lane until about 3pm today as contractors work to remove the truck.

Traffic is flowing well through the single lane.

UPDATED - 11.19am - State Highway 29 on the Matamata side of the Kaimai Summit will be down to one lane until about 3pm today, following a truck accident last night.

NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says contractors are working as quickly as they can to remove the vehicle while ensuring the safety of the crew and traffic in the area.

State highway manager Brett Gliddon asked motorists to take care when travelling through the area and expect delays.

"There will be traffic controls and signage in place. We thank people for their patience while this work is being done," he said.

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A man has died after the heavy truck he was driving plunged off the rain-soaked summit area of the Kaimai Ranges.

The man was travelling along State Highway 29 and began heading down the Matamata side of the ranges when his six-wheeler left the road and careened 10 to 12m down the steep bank about 6pm yesterday.

Emergency services from Tauranga and Matamata responded to 111 calls, reporting a large truck had crashed.

St John ambulance paramedics navigated the sodden, steep bank down to the man but were unable to save him.

The man died at the scene.

Matamata chief fire officer Brian Hunter said the rescue effort was especially tricky because of the wet conditions and location of the truck.

"It was a very steep bank. He was about 10-12m off the road and, of course, that was the front of the vehicle and on a steep angle," Mr Hunter said.

The truck was heavily damaged in the crash.

"Of course we had no idea if there was another vehicle involved so we got our guys to do a search and sweep the area to see if there was another vehicle with anyone trapped. There wasn't."

Tauranga fire brigade senior station officer Mark Keller said the truck had taken out the highway's safety rail as it left the road.

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Firefighters had to use their specialised tools to cut the man free from the truck's cab and ensure he was the only occupant.

Mr Keller said the weather conditions were appalling.

No one from Tauranga police was available to comment on the crash or establish whether the man was local to the Western Bay of Plenty area this morning.

Last week the Western Bay of Plenty highway patrol launched a winter road safety campaign. They said the Kaimai Ranges was traditionally a problem area, especially in wet weather.

The Kaimai section of SH29 was one of three highways that were to be targeted over the five-month campaign in an effort of curb the number of crashes.

On Tuesday afternoon an 80-year-old was taken to Tauranga Hospital with serious injuries after his car left the road in the Kaimai Ranges and went down a bank. The man had to be cut free from the car, which crashed near the Soldiers Rd intersection.