Police are investigating why a loaded truck rolled on to its side, closing one lane of State Highway 1 near Shag Point, north of Palmerston, for most of yesterday.
The truck's driver was taken to Dunedin Hospital by ambulance for observation after the 6.55am crash in dry, fine conditions, police said.
The driver was not believed to have suffered any serious injuries.
Senior Constable Wayne Brew, of Hampden, said the truck tracked into the road verge, ending up about 3m from a steep bank that separated the road from the beach.
Snr Const Brew said the driver, a 36-year-old man from Christchurch, was travelling south around a slight bend in a 100kmh zone when the incident happened. No other vehicles were involved.
The cause of the crash was yet to be determined, but the commercial vehicle investigation unit and general police were inquiring into the incident.
The road had to be brought down to single-lane traffic until the blocked lane could be reopened at 5.30pm.
Summerland Express Freight, the truck company, declined to comment.
The truck was carrying a general grocery load.
