An ambulance heading from Alexandra to an emergency call in Cromwell early yesterday was stopped in its tracks after hitting a 60cm-wide rock in the Cromwell Gorge.
The rock was one of several strewn across both lanes of State Highway 8, having fallen from a cliff face near Champagne Gully after heavy rain.
The force of the collision ruptured the vehicle's fuel tank.
The driver and ambulance crew member were uninjured, although shaken by the incident, St John Southern Lakes District operations manager Pauline Buchanan said.
Sergeant Dave Greaves, of Alexandra, praised the driver's actions.
"The driver did a very good job.
"There was no way he could avoid it, as the rocks were strewn right across the road but he did well to keep the ambulance on the road and guide it safely to a stop."
The ambulance had been sent from Alexandra to Cromwell as no closer vehicle was available.
The accident did not result in any delay to the patient's treatment, as a Prime (Primary Response in Medical Emergencies) doctor and nurse from Cromwell had been called at the same time as the ambulance and they were already with the patient, Mrs Buchanan said.
A replacement ambulance was initially sent from Wanaka but after assessing the patient, the medical staff decided ambulance transport was not needed.
The accident happened about 1am. It was fortunate the rock fall did not happen during the day, when there was more traffic, Sgt Greaves said.
The rock hit by the vehicle was 60cm in diameter. The rest of the fallen rocks were smaller in size.
"If it had been a vehicle smaller than the ambulance that hit it, it would have caused even more significant damage," he said.
