Truck carrying solar panels from the Gold Coast to Uralla solar farm tips near Armidale

"I came all the way from the Gold Coast and didn't have a problem and then got to this roundabout," the driver said.

The man was heading south along the New England Highway, towards a renewables project in Uralla, about 2.45pm when the Western Star prime mover rolled onto its side at the northern roundabout.

Read also:

The driver, who did not want to be identified, said when he looked into the side rear-vision mirror he could see the wheels on his trailer start to lift off the road.

"So I turned it (the truck) the other way to try and get it (the wheels) to go back down, but it was too late," he said.

"It was like slow motion but at the same time it was fast because I saw the wheels lift, and then it fell over here.

"(After the truck tipped onto its side), I was still sitting in the seat with the seatbelt on, and I just looked around, and went... ohhhh...

"So I undid the seatbelt, then I stood on the passenger seat, and I was soon standing on the inside of the passenger door.

"Then I looked out of the windscreen and saw the ambulance there. And said, 'okay... I'm fine'.

"Then someone else came and held the (driver) door open so I could climb out the door. He goes, 'I'll help ya mate!' and I pushed the door open and he held it and I got out."

The driver of the truck was found to be physically uninjured but still in shock after being assessed by paramedics.

With the truck on its side, police and the fire brigade were soon to arrive. A crane and a heavy salvage vehicle were at the scene shortly afterwards.

Four men hooked two winches onto the underside of the semi-trailer before using the heavy salvage vehicle to pull the rolled prime mover back onto its wheels about 5:30pm.

Michael, a local contractor on the scene, said the trailer was carrying a shipping container filled with $150,000 worth of solar panels from China for delivery to a renewables farm in Uralla.

"They're one of a kind solar panel," he said.

"They've got panels on both sides, so when the sun hits the top, it'll actually charge from the top and pick up the reflection from the other solar panels and charge from the bottom.

"That gives them twice the energy of what it can actually produce."

The southbound lane was blocked at one stage, and traffic heading out of Armidale was stopped, as crews worked to get the truck and its container upright again.

Investigations are underway as police try to determine the cause of the accident.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: