A 29-year-man died after he was thrown from his car and run over by a truck near Tokoroa early this morning.
Taupo police sergeant David Frazer said the accident happened on State Highway 32, 5 kilometres south of Whakamaru Village.
Mr Frazer said man appeared to be speedingin a Mitsubishi Galant which left the road and rolled several times on the grass verge. The driver, from Whakamaru Village, was thrown from the car.
A 49 year-old male passenger in the car was trapped and had to be cut free from the wreck by Fire Service and was taken to Tokoroa Hospital with serious injuries.
The driver was thrown into the centre of the road and received serious if not fatal injuries as a result of being thrown from the car, Mr Frazer said.
The driver of a Volvo truck and semi-trailer travelling north took evasive action to avoid the crash but was unable to avoid the driver lying in the centre of the road, he said.
Mr Frazer said weather conditions were fine and overcast at the time of the crash but it was dark with no street lightening available.
The speed limit for the road is 100 kilometres per hour.
The truck driver, a 66-year-old man from Waitara, was uninjured but shocked as a result of the crash, he said.
Police believe alcohol and speed were contributing factors in the cause of both crashes.
Police inquires into the cause of the crash are continuing and Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the crash or seen the Mitsubishi Galant prior to the crash.
