The owner of a vehicle crushed by a truck reckons a drink of Coca-Cola saved her life.

Karen Pope had parked her car on the side of Main Road in Katikati on December 12 while she stopped to visit her cousin, Kim Mitchell, who that day had taken over as the new owner of the Fragrance of Flowers floristry business.

Mitchell described how Pope, who lives in Tauranga and works as a nurse in Katikati, was just about to cross the road from her cousin's new florist shop to get back in her car to drive home.

'But it was a boiling hot day,” says Kim.

'So I told her I'd got cold Coke out the back and we should have a drink before she set back off. We were sipping on our Coke when suddenly we heard a huge bang and the sound of scraping metal.”

When the two women rushed out of the shop to see what had happened, they were shocked to see a big truck on its side right on top of Pope's car.

'Karen said, ‘Oh, that's my car,' but she wasn't worried about the state of the vehicle – just about people. She didn't hesitate – as a nurse her first thought was to help. She ran across the road to check if the truck driver was OK, telling people she was a nurse and asking who needed help.”

Kim says they were surprisingly calm.

'I'm also used to emergencies as I was a volunteer firefighter for nine years. While Karen was checking on the people in the truck, I knew it was important that people stand back, as there can be hazardous materials in trucks.”

The truck driver and another person climbed out of the truck.

'They had a few scratches from glass but were saying they were fine. People tried to get them to sit down in case they were in shock.”

The load of carpet tiles and disinfectant drums was still intact, says Kim.

Later that evening the cousins were laughing together about how the beverage had saved Karen's life.

'She said, ‘That Coke saved my life,' and we did have a laugh. I said, ‘Well, I won't forget my first day at work, will I?'

'Although we were laughing about it, of course we were grateful that she hadn't got back in the car when she was going to. Whether it was the Coke or the universe – something lucky saved her that day.”

The owner of the Talisman Hotel and Restaurant, Michele Reichmuth, is also grateful that no-one was hurt.

She and her guests were inside the pub when they too heard a 'massive bang” as the truck first hit the parked car right outside, knocking down a pole.

'I ran outside ready to do first aid but was so relieved to see that there was no-one in the car and the truck driver was OK. I was worried it had spilt anything flammable as we are right next door to the petrol station. It could have crashed into us, but it didn't. It could have been much worse, but I am focusing on the happy story that everyone was fine.”

While patrons in the pub were talking about the incident, Michele says she will leave it to the police investigation.

'The road cameras will be able to give police all the information they need – anything else is speculation at the moment.”

She says Katikati locals have been campaigning for years for an alternative route for trucks.

'They should put a tunnel through the Kaimai [Range]. You can't have big trucks going down the main street of a town. It's ridiculous and look what happens. I hope things like this make people listen to the issues we have been raising about the traffic. We don't need more roundabouts – we need [a] bypass.”

Fire and Emergency New Zealand confirmed there were no occupants in the parked car and the driver and another person got out of the truck.

The main street of Katikati was closed for a few hours on Monday evening. The truck and the crushed car were transported to a local wrecker.

A spokesperson for WorkSafe New Zealand told Stuff on Tuesday that they had not yet been notified about the incident.

Kim says her cousin is taking everything in her stride, even the day following the incident.

'Karen's probably out shopping for a new car today. I'd better stock up on more coke. The fact everyone is OK is already the greatest Christmas present we could wish for.”

-Annemarie Quill/Stuff.