Traffic on State Highway 1 just north of Hampden was reduced to one lane for more than six hours yesterday after a truck-and-trailer unit crashed, shortly after 5am.
The driver, a 22-year-old Christchurch man, who was the only occupant, was taken to Oamaru Hospital to be treated for minor injuries, including abrasions to his back, before being discharged.
A truck-retrieval unit with a crane was brought in to clear the crashed truck which partially blocked the highway.
Bakery supplies, including dough and flour for Quality Bakery, and other goods thrown from the trailer were picked up.
Hampden Senior Constable Darrin Low was called out to the crash at 5.15am.
He said the southbound truck had left the road between Big Kuri Creek and Mile Flat Rd, slid along a ditch and ended up on its side.
It snapped a power pole, which had to be removed by Network Waitaki, although electricity supply was maintained.
Const Low said SH1 remained open, reduced to one lane and was closed only when the truck was lifted and loaded on to a truck.
The highway reopened fully about 11.30am, after the truck was removed.
Network Waitaki also put in a replacement power pole.
The stretch of road north of Hampden has been the scene of several crashes involving fatalities and injuries in recent years, including one in January, when a tractor and truck collided on the Kakaho Creek bridge.
