A Cromwell man received serious injuries after he was hit by the back door of a truck being driven down the main street of Lawrence yesterday morning.
Senior Constable Robert Wallace, of Lawrence, said the back door of the truck and trailer unit, which was carrying logs and bins of firewood, swung open in Ross Pl about 8.45am. It hit a pedestrian and then a stationary truck.
The 52-year-old pedestrian was taken to Dunedin Hospital by ambulance with a serious shoulder injury. He was last night in a stable condition in a general ward.
The stationary truck received minor damage.
The truck driver, unaware of what had happened, carried on travelling south in Ross Pl.
Police later stopped the truck as the driver, who was delivering locally, was returning to Lawrence after unloading.
The truck had been impounded by police for inspection and the commercial vehicle investigation unit from Dunedin was investigating, Snr Const Wallace said.
A spokesman for the company that owned the truck, Southland-based D T King & Co Ltd, said when contacted the truck was new and the company would examine the vehicle when it was returned.
He was unable to give further details.
Police said the Department of Labour was not involved.
Ross Pl retailers approached by the Otago Daily Times were unaware of the incident.
Snr Const Wallace asked anyone who saw the red D T King truck and trailer unit, or travelled behind it, around the time of the incidents, to contact Lawrence police.
