The truck full of groceries crashed nose down off the Hume Freeway, straight into the Ovens River.

Police on the scene at about 6pm were still trying to figure out how the driver freed himself, but it could have only been from swimming upwards from the wreck.

Wangaratta Highway Patrol Senior Constable Colin Boyle said the man was taken to Wangaratta hospital, but was not seriously injured.

“He extracted himself from the cab, which is very fortunate,” he said.

“The truck is underwater now. He’s a very lucky man.”

The truck had run off the road to the right, scraping along a barrier next to the road before going over and into the river.

Groceries were scattered around the truck in the river and the EPA, CFA and North East Water were all in scene at about 6pm.

Fuel could also be seen in the water, flowing downstream.

“It’s not ideal at all. We’re just trying to rehabilitate that as best we can,” Senior Constable Boyle said.

“We’re still investigating the cause of this collision.

“Our major concern at the moment is that debris has gone into the river and we need to extract those.”

He asked drivers to be careful when heading south on the Hume Freeway near the Ovens River junction as it would be a protracted incident and a crane would be needed to pull out the truck.

EARLIER:

A TRUCK driver has somehow escaped a major crash on the Hume Highway, with his vehicle landing in the Ovens River.

Emergency services were called to the southbound lanes of the highway, near Oxley Flats Road, about 5pm.

The vehicle left the road, crashed through a barrier and landed in the river.

The driver freed himself and was being treated for minor injuries. 

“The exact cause of the crash is yet to be determined,” a police spokesman said. 

Police are on the scene. 

Delays are expected to southbound traffic.