RUBBISH: The container which fell off a truck and blocked State Highway 29 for almost three hours yesterday. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK
An Enviro Waste driver has been charged with careless use of a motor vehicle after a full container of rubbish fell off his truck and narrowly avoided hitting a car on the Kaimai Range.
The crash happened on State Highway 29, near Redwood Lane at 11am yesterday, blocking the south
bound lane for about three hours. The road was completely closed as a crane was brought in to pick up the container and put it on another truck.
The container bounced over a car occupied by a couple heading to Tauranga, before landing on the road and dumping part of its load.
Sergeant Wayne Hunter said the driver of the Enviro Waste truck had been charged with careless use of a motor vehicle due to the manner of their driving, in that, they allegedly failed to approach the corner correctly before ending up off the road.
"It is just fortunate that no one was hurt. The potential for serious injury or even worse in this situation was very real," Mr Hunter said.
