A bus and a truck collision on Auckland’s Northern Motorway left one person injured and forced the closure of all northbound lanes for more than four hours. According to police and emergency services, the incident occurred just after 6 a.m. near the Oteha Valley off-ramp, involving a bus and a truck and trailer.
Crash Details and Witness Accounts on the Northern Motorway
The impact caused substantial damage to the bus and tipped the truck’s trailer onto its side. Lizelle Erasmus, who was getting out of her car at the nearby Albany Bus Station, witnessed the collision firsthand. She told 1News that the truck hit the back-right corner of the bus, crashed into the centre barrier, and caused the trailer to flip over. “I saw smoke coming from the bus and the driver opening the doors,” Erasmus said, adding that the damage to the rear of the bus was severe. She also noted, “I’m really glad the bus was empty – if someone was in the back, they would have been seriously injured or dead.”
Traffic Disruptions and Ongoing Clean-up Operations
The collision resulted in significant travel delays as emergency services responded to the scene and authorities shut down all northbound lanes. According to an update issued just after 11 a.m. by the NZ Transport Agency, clean-up operations were ongoing and one northbound lane had been successfully reopened.
