The view from the cordon at SH3 in Midhirst after a truck and train collided. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
A train and truck crash in Statford has left the truck driver seriously injured.
The crash happened at the intersection of State Highway 3 and Radnor Road about 6.40am on Wednesday.
The force of the impact knocked the truck onto its side, shunted it 25 metres and tore its petrol tank off, incident controller Kevan Old said.
Police said one person was being treated for serious injuries.
Old said when he arrived at the scene two fire trucks were already on site and two off-duty paramedics were attending to the injured truck driver.
"The patient wasn't trapped in the truck. The patient was out of the truck and was being assessed by them, off duty paramedics, police were in attendance. The truck was on its side. The truck had picked up a lot of rubbish from the impact."
Old said the truck driver was 'status one' and severely injured.
The truck ended up to one side of the railway line between it and the highway.
Old said it was heavily damaged.
"It was probably moved about twenty-five metres. The fuel tank was completely ripped off - that was in a drain around twenty metres up the track as well."
The state highway at the intersection with Radnor Road, which was blocked off after the crash, reopened at at 10.15am with speed restrictions and traffic management in place.
Old said collisions on railway crossings in the area were uncommon.
"I've been 28 years in the service, and that's the first time we've been to that intersection.
"We don't get a lot of train versus cars. There's more awareness out there now. So that's the first one we've had in our area for a while."
Old said a crane would be used to remove the truck and traffic management would clean up the scene.
Hato Hone St John said a patient in a serious condition was taken by ambulance to Taranaki Base Hospital. One ambulance and one rapid response vehicle responded.
