Trustpower TECT Tauranga Rescue Helicopter pilot Todd Dunham said the "horrific" scene on State Highway 2 between Pikowai and Matata was one of the worst and "most chaotic" he had seen in his nine years flying for the service.
The three people who died in the crash and two others who were injured were all working for contracting firm Higgins.
A 57-year-old Kawerau man was treated and discharged from Whakatane Hospital and a 46-year-old Tauranga man was treated and discharged from Tauranga Hospital.
It has now also been confirmed that four separate trucks were involved in the crash.
A driver at the scene earlier said a crane had been called to lift a truck because one of the three dead had been trapped underneath it.
The driver was told a rental truck ran into Higgins contractors who were clearing a culvert by the side of the road.
Dunham said three road workers were hit by a "truck coming down the road and now they've lost their lives".
Dunham's helicopter flew one of the truck drivers to Tauranga Hospital - a 46-year-old man - with moderate injuries.
"Going by the looks of the trucks, it is very lucky for him not to have more serious injuries," he said.
He said the truck that appeared to have hit the road workers also struck a Higgins truck, tipping it upside down into a ditch.
The other truck that had been "opened up like a can of sardines" was also in the ditch.
Ross Taylor, the chief executive of Higgins' parent company Fletcher Building, said the two people injured in the accident were also Higgins contractors.
"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families and friends of the three people who died and two who were injured in a traffic accident in the Bay of Plenty this afternoon," he said.
"Two of those who died were part of our Higgins business and one was a contractor working for us, while the two injured were contractors.
"This is an absolute tragedy, and we are moving to offer our support to those affected and to our people in the area.
Police asked for anyone who witnessed the crash to contact Whakatāne Police on (07) 308 5255.
"In particular, we would like to speak to a paraglider who was above the scene of the crash when it occurred," police said.
A police spokesperson confirmed the road reopened just before 11pm on Tuesday night.
