Crash like earthquake, I expected worse, says driver

Joseph Sowry and Jordan Gray were heading home to Dannevirke.

Joseph Sowry hit the brakes and tried to reverse away from an overturned truck and trailer as it slid towards his car on State Highway 2 yesterday.

But with the 13.7m rig bearing down on his vehicle, Mr Sowry looked down and realised he had changed the gear to park.

Also inside the car was his wife, Ngaire, and their 11-year-old grandson Jordan Gray.

"I was working quickly to avoid it, but when it hit it was a very disturbing crunching noise," said Mr Sowry shortly after the accident at 9am yesterday.

"It's like an earthquake: You don't know how severe it's going to be. I was expecting it was going to be worse and by then it was all over."

The crash near the Castle Cafe at Mangatawhiri blocked the road for five hours and caused traffic to bank up while an "over-sized" crane was found to clear the truck, said police.

Inspector Ian Brooker of the police northern communications centre said traffic banked up even on State Highway 1 in both directions from the motorway interchange at Bombay.

Police asked motorists to be patient while the traffic cleared.

Mr Sowry, who was on the way home to Dannevirke after a holiday in Auckland, said he had just passed the Castle and was travelling under 80km/h - the speed limit on that particular stretch of the highway - when the truck, hauling a shipping container, tipped over and started sliding towards the car.

Mr Sowry said the truck was about 100m away so he braked and hoped to reverse away from the danger.

"I had stopped but I hit park and by then it was just too late. [The truck] shunted us backwards and has damaged the front of the car, but my wife and grandson are both OK."