A truck and trailer flipped on State Highway 50, near Ongaonga in Central Hawke's Bay yesterday afternoon. Photo/Paul Taylor
Emergency services responded to calls after a Fonterra milk tanker flipped into a ditch on State Highway 50, near Ongaonga in Central Hawke's Bay yesterday.
A Police spokesperson said initial reports suggested the driver was trapped but was then freed from the cab.
They would not specify how the truck came off the road.
The driver received moderate to minor injuries.
The accident occurred around 1.10pm near Blackburn Rd and Pettit Valley Rd.
It's understood a rescue helicopter was dispatched.
A policeman on the scene said it was "lucky there were no cars coming in the other direction at the time".
Although the truck was off the road, there was a large amount of debris blocking the road and milk gushing from the tanker and into the drain at the side of the road.
At the time, police asked motorists to avoid the area as lengthy delays were expected.
A crane was brought in just before 5.30pm to remove the toppled tanker and the road finally reopened around 7pm.
A Hawke's Bay District Health Board spokesperson said a man in his 50s was in Hawke's Bay Hospital in a stable condition.
The last Fonterra truck crash in Central Hawke's Bay occurred in 2007, when a tanker crashed into three houses in Waipawa after the driver reportedly choked on a lolly and lost control of the truck.
The driver received a broken nose and cuts to his face. Two of the three houses were demolished.
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