Trapped inside a truck in icy fast-flowing river after crash

A truck driver who escaped after crashing into a cold, fast-flowing creek is "a lucky boy", firefighters say.

The truck carrying a load of potato chips hit a bank, went through a fence and careered back on and off the road, hitting a tree and a fence again, local firefighters said.

The crash happened in the central North Island at Utiku, north of Mangaweka.

The injured truckie arrived at Palmerston North hospital after he was airlifted at about 6.51am.

Mangaweka firefighter Neil Sinclair believed the shock of the impact or landing in the chilly water woke the truckie, who released his seatbelt and managed to escape his cab.

The truck driver was airlifted to hospital. Photo / Supplied

The truck was on its side after crashing into the creek, luckily with the driver's side up, Mr Sinclair told NZME News Service.

"If it fell on the right hand side it might have been a different story," he said.

"He's pretty lucky...I was quite surprised he got out of it and actually walked up the hill," he added.

The truck and two trailers were still in the creek about 10am.

The back trailer had swung and was at a roughly 45 degree vertical angle from the front trailer.

The cab was still on its left side in the creek below steep banks.

Firefighters said the trailer was intact so no chips had spilled into the creek but a New Zealand Herald photographer could see part of the front trailer was open.

The back trailer had squashed part of the front trailer.A Palmerston North Hospital spokesman said the driver was in a stable condition shortly after 10am.

AF Logistics' parent company Linfox told NZME News Service the accident happened while the driver was performing a delivery on behalf of the business.

"Our concern is with the driver involved in the incident," a spokeswoman said.

The truck hit a bank, went through a fence and careered back on and off the road, hitting a tree and a fence again. Photo / Stuart Munro, Wanganui Chronicle

"The business is cooperating with authorities and we will conduct our own investigation into what occurred.

Local firefighters said the driver was not a local.

The AF Logistics company website said the firm had coolstores and depots in Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Hastings and New Plymouth and more than 100 trucks nationwide.

Raced to the creek

An earlier report from police said other truckies smashed the cab and helped to rescue the crashed driver but this was not the case, Mr Sinclair said.

However, truck drivers who saw the wrecked truck stopped, called 111, and raced to the creek to check on the crashed driver's well-being.

Mr Sinclair said the injured truckie was able to share a joke with ambulance staff when some of his cold, wet clothes had to be replaced.

"He was having a joke and a laugh, saying 'I don't normally get a man to take my clothes off, it's normally a woman."

The driver told ambulance staff he was a diabetic and he had visible bruising on one of his arms.

A truck crashed into the Mangateweka stream about 1km north of Mangaweka. Photo / Stuart Munro, Wanganui Chronicle

Mr Sinclair understood the man was nearing the end of his shift when he crashed.

He said the driver was a stocky man in his 50s.

Mangaweka chief fire officer Rex Noble said the creek near Utiku was flowing fast when the accident happened.

'Fighting the truck'

Mr Noble said the truck hit a bank up the road and the driver said he remembered "fighting the truck" to get back in control.

"He's a lucky boy though. [He] was on his side, his left-hand side. I think he undid his seatbelt and he dropped, down to the bottom side and that's how he got all wet."

The Palmerston Rescue Helicopter crew met firefighters who brought the injured man down the road from Utiku.

"There was low cloud and rain at the scene at Utiku so we actually picked him up from the road ambulance who drove south, down the road, while we were coming north," Rescue Helicopter base manager and pilot Chris Moody said.

It wasn't yet confirmed how badly hurt the man was, with some reports he was seriously injured, but others saying his injuries were moderate.

The Fire Service sent two appliances to the scene, from Mangaweka and Taihape.

One lane of the three-lane road was closed and police urged motorists in the area to take care.

The police Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit will investigate, and Rangitikei District Council was being asked to help police remove the truck from the river.