Truckie's lucky escape stuns rescuers

A truck driver spent three agonising hours trapped in the crushed wreck of his cab before being rescued by firefighters, who were last night questioning how he survived.

The man was driving his truck, which is believed to have been carrying a load of tomatoes, on State Highway 2 at Morere, south of Gisborne, when he lost control about 4.45pm yesterday.

Chief Fire Officer Robert Wesche of the Nuhaka Volunteer Fire Brigade said he was stunned the man and his passenger survived.

Mr Wesche said the truck crashed after it lost control travelling around a corner on the Morere Hill.

When firefighters arrived, its trailer was lying on the road upside-down and had split from the cab.

"The trailer just flipped up and the wheels were up in the air.

"The cab had split off the truck and it had turned him up the right way again - God knows how. It was unreal," said Mr Wesche.

"[The cab] was the right way up but it was not connected to the truck ... I'd just about say it was in two bits and he was trapped in it, underneath the steering wheel.

"He's a very lucky man."

Mr Wesche said the driver was conscious but did not say much throughout his ordeal. "He said he had a couple of cracked ribs."

The rescue had taken so long because firefighters were struggling to get to the driver and had to use several types of cutting equipment.

The crash closed the highway while emergency services cleared the scene and a crane was brought in to remove the wreck.

Both men escaped with moderate injuries and were airlifted to separate hospitals in Gisborne and Hastings by rescue helicopter.

Gisborne police are investigating the crash.