Watch: 'What the hell's that?' – Driver ducks as flying 'panel' hits car

Kevin Cross has already bought a Lotto ticket after a flying object from the opposite lanes narrowly missed smashing into his windscreen on Auckland’s Southern Motorway.

The airborne object, which the Howick-based sales manager thinks was a vehicle panel, didn’t hit the windscreen but struck and damaged Cross’ new 2026 Kia Sportage work car.

He posted footage of the incident, which happened in the northbound lanes near the East Tāmaki exit at 12.20pm today, to the Dash Cam Owners New Zealand Facebook page.

“It was pretty scary. I thought it was going to hit the windscreen … from the video it’s only a couple of millimetres away.

“When I looked at the footage it’s definitely a [vehicle] panel, maybe from the rear because you can see the wire poking out where the indicator is.”

Cross had no time to do anything but duck behind the dash, hearing a “big bang” as the object struck his car’s body.

“You see these things in slow motion … you sort of go, ‘What the hell’s that? That’ll fly over me’, but no, bang.”

The incident was also captured on video from the rear of the car, showing the panel and another object flying towards other vehicles on the Southern Motorway. Screengrab from video / Kevin Cross

The object and another small piece of debris can be seen tumbling towards vehicles behind Cross, including a truck, but they didn’t appear to have been hit.

He’d watched the footage several times but couldn’t see which vehicle the panel had come from.

Cross said he is uncertain how much repairs to his insured work car will cost.

“I took it to a panel beater, all they said was, ‘This is going to be expensive’.”

Damage to sales manager Kevin Cross' new work car after it was struck by a "panel" that flew across the motorway today. Screengrab from video / Kevin Cross

Cross said he’d had a lucky escape, but that good fortune didn’t extend to his Melbourne Cup pick, which failed to place at Flemington today.

He’ll get another chance when a bunch of balls drop into a big barrel tomorrow.

“I did it on the way home,” Cross said, when asked if he’d bought a Lotto ticket after today’s close call.

Cross didn’t report the incident to police and a police spokeswoman couldn’t confirm if there had been any reports relating to it, or debris on the motorway, at that time.

An airborne object is not what you want to see coming towards you on the motorway. Screengrab from video / Kevin Cross

In November 2000, Pukekohe plasterer John Edward “Eddie” Tavinor was decapitated when part of a driveshaft came through the windscreen of his ute as he drove north on Auckland’s Southern Motorway.

He was travelling between the Mt Wellington and Penrose off-ramps when an articulated Mitsubishi truck travelling in the opposite direction lost a portion of its driveshaft’s front universal joint, which then struck and killed Tavinor.

The 32-year-old’s partner, Michelle Foord, gave birth to their third child 10 days later.

Cherie Howie joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.