Two die after being trapped in truck accidents

Police at the scene of the fatal truck crash on State Highway 36 between Tauranga and Rotorua. Picture / Alan Gibson

Two people have died in separate accidents involving trucks. The first occurred on State Highway 38 in western Bay of Plenty at 9.30 yesterday morning. It is understood a man was thrown from the truck and trapped underneath when it rolled on Pyes Pa Rd. He died before an ambulance could arrive. The highway was closed for nearly an hour while police investigated the cause of the crash.

The second accident was just before 4pm on the Clevedon-Kawakawa Rd in Kawakawa Bay, South Auckland. It is understood a truck carrying a digger jack-knifed, trapping underneath a pedestrian who died at the scene. The road was closed for up to three hours while police investigated.