Emergency services worked for seven hours to rescue a truck driver who was trapped after a devastating collision between two trucks on the Hume Highway in the NSW Southern Tablelands.
The incident occurred at around 1:15 am today, approximately 35 km east of Yass near Pedell Lane in Gunning. Upon arrival, authorities discovered that a B-double truck had left the roadway and rolled over, and a second B-double truck subsequently collided with it from behind.
The 30-year-old driver of one of the trucks was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver of the second truck was critically injured and transported to the hospital. Emergency teams spent seven hours extricating the injured driver from the wreckage before airlifting him to Canberra Hospital. Fire and Rescue crews reported that the driver had been impaled during the crash.
NSW Police Inspector David Cowell described the scene as “horrendous” and said the wreckage was spread over a 100-meter area. All southbound traffic was redirected to the Federal and Barton Highways.
A crime scene has been established as police continue to investigate the cause of the crash. A report will be submitted to the coroner regarding the truck driver’s death. This marks the 34th fatality on NSW roads this year.