A van driver is dead following a crash between his vehicle and a logging truck on State Highway 30, the first fatal car crash in Rotorua this year.
The crash happened about 5.45pm yesterday on a straight stretch of State Highway 30 between Apirana and Collier Rds in Horohoro.
The van driver, in his 50s, died at the scene, and a passenger was taken to Rotorua Hospital by St John Ambulance suffering from minor injuries.
Police had cordoned off part of the road, which was strewn with debris, and were directing motorists to turn around. Police had also diverted traffic along Apirana Rd.
The Serious Crash Unit was at the scene last night investigating the cause of the incident, while police officers talked to people believed to be relatives of the dead man.
Emergency services were clearing the road at 7.30pm yesterday.
Last year seven people were killed on Rotorua roads, with a total of 28 fatalities on roads across the wider Bay of Plenty.
