A man received serious injuries after the oil tanker he was driving ran off the road south of Waikouaiti last night.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said the driver had to be extricated from the cab of the truck after it left State Highway 1, between Coast Rd and Ramrock Rd, about 7.10pm.
Fortunately, the vehicle was still upright, and the tanker was empty, so there was no danger of the contents of the tanker leaking or catching fire, she said.
"It doesn't look life threatening, by all accounts.
"The truck is not on fire."
However, a Hato Hone St John Ambulance spokesman said the driver was seriously injured in the crash, and was transported to Dunedin Hospital via ambulance.
A police spokeswoman said no other vehicles were involved in the incident.
While SH1 was clear, she said a large number of emergency service vehicles were on scene, and police had to close the road for a short time.
Fire appliances from Waikouaiti and Palmerston attended, along with two St John first response vehicles, an operations manager and a rapid response vehicle.
