Officer who crashed car on Auckland's Southern Motorway 'blessed'

Emergency services have closed two lanes on Auckland's Southern Motorway approaching Te Irirangi Drive after a police car rolled and ended up on its roof. Photo / NZTA

A police vehicle that flipped going at high speed on Auckland's Southern Motorway this morning was switching lanes to overtake vehicles when it lost control and went airborne, a witness says.

The police officer escaped with minor injuries after their car crashed while driving on Auckland's Southern Motorway near the Highbrook off-ramp at about 7.30am.

But a motorist who was travelling in the northbound lane, heading in the opposite direction to the police cars when the crash happened say the officer is "blessed" and is surprised they didn't get more serious injuries.

The police car was following two or three other police cars all travelling at high speed and was on the inside lane when the driver got stuck behind other cars so decided to swerve across two lanes, the witness said.

"It was unbelievable what happened ... He switched three lanes at high speed and there was something of a bend on the motorway and he lost control of his car. It went airborne, it was unbelievable. I was - like anybody who must have saw it - was white with shock."

She could see the underneath of the police car as it was supended 3m high in the air, but had driven past it before it landed.

"In the immediate moment there was actually nothing around him. The only people who would have swerved would have been people who were a bit starstruck by the incident really. No other cars were in danger really, just the police car that took off and went airborne.

"I'm amazed he's alive. He's a very blessed man."

The police car ended up on its roof and was badly damaged.

The officer was headed to a priority job at the time, police said in a statement.

"The sole officer driving the vehicle has minor injuries. There were no other vehicles involved."

The Serious Crash Unit attended the incident.

The crash closed two lanes for much of the morning, causing congestion past Highbrook Drive.

It was cleared just after 10am and congestion has now eased.

FINAL UPDATE 10:10AM
This crash scene now cleared allowing the Southern Mwy to reopen to 3 lanes southbound again through this area. Congestion is easing quickly. ^TPhttps://t.co/P7t06pmRnj

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) January 5, 2020