Harbour Bridge crash: Truckies abandon vehicle, jump into stranger's car

A pair of truckies were so nervous as high winds battered their truck, they abandoned their vehicle and jumped into a stranger's Mazda.

It came after a freak burst of wind blew two trucks over on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Videos have captured the frightening moments. One high-sided truck can be seen lurching onto two wheels before toppling onto a median barrier, while just moments later a second truck is buffeted sideways and thrown into the bridge's supporting strut.

"Oh bro, he's going over, oh s***," a nearby motorist filming the wild weather that hit the bridge around 11am yesterday can be heard screaming in one of the videos.

North Shore resident John Lynne took this photo of the stricken Castle Parcels truck. The photo also shows a damaged strut further down the road. Photo / Supplied

"Oh my god," another person in the car says before the first person notices the second stricken truck ahead of them.

"Oi, that one as well."

"Bro we need to get off this f*** bridge man," another occupant then says.

Incredibly, a double decker bus can be seen driving past in an outside lane on the bridge just seconds after the trucks were toppled.

North Shore resident and fellow eye witness John Lynne told the Herald it was "fricken scary" up on the bridge.

Two drivers from another furniture truck that pulled up at the scene to help out were so "petrified" of getting back into their vehicle that was being rocked by the winds, they instead took refuge in Lynne's Mazda.

Traffic chaos on the Harbour Bridge on Friday afternoon. Photo / Supplied

"The two guys panicked and refused to get into their trucks, people were just panicking," Lynne said.

"It was pretty fricken scary."

The crashes caused traffic havoc as four of the bridge's lanes were shut down, leading to massive jams that clogged up the city centre along with the Southern, Northern and Northwestern motorways, adding hours to the commute of workers.

The Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency later advised it could take weeks before the damage done to the Harbour Bridge's support strut is repaired.

Northbound traffic brought to a halt by a truck crash on the Auckland Harbour bridge. Photo / Alex Burton

Transport Minister Phil Twyford said he was getting regular updates from the NZTA, who were working as fast as they could to fix the bridge.

Lynne - an experienced former truck driver - had earlier found the conditions tough as he headed south over the bridge, just moments before the trucks were toppled.

"Driving up the Harbour Bridge I was battling, and I've only got a little Mazda," he said.

Nearing the bridge's crest, he saw the first truck from Castle Parcels stopped in the northbound lanes with its hazard lights on.

A freak burst of wind toppled a truck sideways, blowing it into structural frames on the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Photo / Michael Sergal

"I thought, 'Gee, what a place to break down'," Lynne said.

However, the Castle Parcels truck began to move off again, angling for the bridge's inside lane.

"Then he started wobbling and next minute, bang, a gust of wind grabbed him and completely tipped him on his side," Lynne said

Lynne's was the first car to pull up near the truck on the inside southbound lane.

However, to his left, a second truck carrying a blue shipping container continued on.

Just seconds later it was also hit by a gust of wind, lifted off its wheels and slammed into the bridge.

"You could see his wheels off the ground also."

Lynne quickly dialled 111.

Traffic was brought to a standstill late into Friday night because of the crashes. Photo / Dean Purcell

"I said, 'Hey you better close the Harbour Bridge because this is so dangerous up here'."

He also jumped out of his car and rushed to check on the Castles Parcel driver, who gave the thumbs up from inside his cabin.

"I just put my hands up to say, 'Stay in the truck don't try and get out'."

Other people were urging the driver to get out, but Lynne told them to leave the driver in there, saying he was safer in than out.

Among those running up to check were two guys from a furniture truck about 50m back.

"I said to them to get back in your truck and move it, but they were too scared."

"You could look behind and see the wind rocking it, and they just said 'nah'."

Instead, the pair jumped in Lynne's car to shelter from the rain and wind.

Meanwhile, the second container truck had disappeared, leaving behind a big bend in the metal strut where it had hit.

Its driver was able to drive off the bridge.

"I don't know if a gust of wind blew him back upright or the truck righted itself because when I looked again he's gone," Lynne said.

"I don't know how he drove off because that container must have been damaged."

"I sat there and said to the other guys, "did we really see that happen'."

Lynne later kept getting out of his car to check on the Castle Parcels driver.

"He gave me the thumbs up several times. He was texting or ringing someone."

Eventually, fire trucks and emergency vehicles carrying crash barriers arrived to cordon off the site and start to winch the Castle Parcels truck upright.

After about 40 minutes emergency teams gave Lynne the go ahead to drive off the bridge, when his two truck driving companions returning to their own vehicles.

Between the crashes and all the people coming to snap photos, Lynne described it as "mayhem".

"Oh yeah, that Harbour Bridge is pretty scary in the wind," he said.