Lime spills out as truck rolls in Hawke's Bay

This truck-and-trailer unit rolled on State Highway 2, just south of Lake Tutira, yesterday. Photo / Duncan Brown

Lime was strewn at the bottom of a muddy bank yesterday morning, after the truck carrying it tipped over the edge of a slippery bend near Lake Tutira.

Bright yellow vests and skid marks marked the State Highway 2 corner, 1km south of Lake Tutira, where truck driver Russel Martin, 70, flipped his vehicle about 10.18am, according to the local fire service.

Jackson Transport employee Mr Martin was carrying lime from Napier to Gisborne in a truck and trailer. He said he had spent years driving the road without a single crash.

"I've been driving this road for the past 25-30 years.

"I was wiping the windscreen and went too close to the edge, and next thing I knew, I was somewhere I didn't want to be," he said.

Jackson Transport manager John Jackson said he was glad to discover his driver of 10 years was unharmed.

"By the looks of things, he is a very lucky man," he said.

Constable Marty Lack said persistent rain had fogged up Mr Martin's windscreen, creating difficult driving conditions as he travelled north on the wet road.

"He had attempted to wipe his windscreen with his hand, before the truck went off the road for a moment and slid down the bank.

"He said he was only going about 20km/h," he said.

Mr Martin said he was feeling a bit shaken.

"I might have to take a day off work to steady the nerves a bit," he said.

Crash site landowner Polly Macdonald was called by a friend to go and assist.

"I was happy to hang up my hammer and come out and help," she said.

She has witnessed a few crashes on the winding roads near her property in the short time she has lived in the area.

"We've only been here two years and I've seen about four crashes, so I suppose that's a few," she said.

The road was closed yesterday afternoon while the truck was removed.