The husband of a cyclist who had to jump out of the way to avoid being crushed by a lorry driver who had not seen her has posted a video of the shocking incident to YouTube to underline the importance of looking out for footage.
The rider suffered “bumps and bruises” and her bike was damaged in the incident, which happened last Friday morning in Taupō, situated in the centre of the country’s North Island.
“My wife was cycling to work when a delivery truck on Lake Terrace not only cut the corner but came straight at her after failing to see her,” said YouTube user Jeff Lim in the description to the video.
“Fortunately, she was able to jump off her bike (camera is mounted on the bike) just as she saw the truck and managed to escape with just some bumps and bruises and damage to the bike.
“It could all have ended a lot worse. Thankful to the driver behind the truck who helped her get home safely as well as a couple of passerby's who helped push the bicycle home.
“The driver did stop and was apologetic. As much as the driver of the truck was at fault here, there is no need to bash or flame him.
“Police have all the details and are dealing with the incident.
“I am sharing this video to raise awareness for everyone driving to share the road carefully and to look out for cyclists, as they are the most vulnerable people on the road,” he added.
Food business Goodman Fielder, the owner of the truck, said that the driver had been suspended while it investigates the incident, reports NZ Herald.
“The driver has been stood down and is currently not rostered on duties,” said a spokesman.
“We have launched an investigation into this incident, which involved one of our distributor's trucks,” it added.