An elderly man who died when his small truck turned into the path of a 31-tonne truck and trailer unit at Te Kuiti in Waikato today has been named by police.
He was Paul Joseph Karam, 77, of Cambridge.
The crash happened on State Highway 3 near Te Kumi Road, 77km south of Hamilton, at about 10.15am, police said.
Mr Karam had suffered "significant injuries" in the crash and was taken to Te Kuiti Hospital, where he died a short time later.
It appeared Mr Karam was travelling in a small truck which pulled out of a weigh station and attempted a u-turn but drove into the path of a 31-tonne truck and trailer unit, Te Kuiti sub-area manager Senior Sergeant Rob Van Kalken said.
The smaller truck was pushed several hundred metres down the road. The driver of the larger truck was shaken but unhurt.
Serious crash unit and commercial vehicle investigators were late this afternoon still at the scene.
Mr Karam's death had been referred to the coroner, Mr Van Kalken said.
