Bulldozer driver injured in rollover

Photo / File

The driver of a bulldozer jumped for his life yesterday afternoon when it tipped over and rolled down a bank in a forestry block on the Whakarau Road near Te Karaka, inland from Gisborne.

The man, in his 50s, is in hospital in a serious condition with head injuries and a broken arm.
Emergency services were alerted to the accident at about 1pm.

"We sent two ambulances from Gisborne and called in the ECT rescue helicopter to fly the injured driver to Gisborne Hospital," a St John spokesman said.

He was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit.

"He is in a serious condition," a hospital spokeswoman said this morning.

The man was operating the large dozer on a logging site.

"The vehicle was stuck on a tree stump. The driver tried to manoeuvre around it but the machine tipped over," the St John officer said.

"The bulldozer went over the edge of a bank and began to roll down it.

"It rolled twice before the man was able to jump clear, then the machine rolled another 20 to 30 metres before it stopped.

"The guy was lucky. The outcome could have been a lot worse."

His forestry gang looked after him until the St John staff arrived.

"They did a really good job and also helped us carry him to the chopper when it arrived."

- The Gisborne Herald