Two truck drivers have suffered serious head injuries after an horrific accident involving a car towing a caravan on the Pacific Highway earlier today.
One of the truckies has been flown by helicopter to Westmead Hospital in Sydney, while the other has been flown to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. The NSW Ambulance Service says both drivers both suffered fractures and head injuries.
It s understood there were four people inside the car towing the caravan, although there is no  information yet on whether they were injured, or on their condition.
Police say the accident happened at Coolongolook, near Taree on the New South Wales Mid North Coast when a southbound B-double truck crossed to the wrong side of the highway. It reportedly hit a wire in the median strip before it crashed into a northbound truck. The car towing the caravan also became involved in the crash.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that emergency crews were confronted by crumpled vehicles and debris strewn along the highway when they were called to the scene. They found one man trapped in the cab of each truck, where they remained for an hour before they were pulled out by emergency services..
The Herald reports that one of the trucks lay crumpled over a road barrier on its side, while two helicopters and multiple ambulances and fire engines descended on the accident site.
Emergency services remained on the scene more than four hours after the crash, as crash investigators examined the road and crews worked to salvage the trucks.
Motorists were advised to avoid the area or allow plenty of extra travel time.
Not always the caravaners fault……in this case, the trucker caused this horrific accident. Hope all involved are OK.
It’s sad that I warned the RTA over 20 years ago that exactly this sort of accident would occur if they continued using wire rope barriers as dividers.
Saving money by installing these flimsy wire rope barriers instead of proper fixed concrete barriers won the day.
If I read it correctly, the trucks were the first involved in the crash. The caravan became involved because it was travelling behind the northbound truck or behind the truck that struck the wire barrier in the median strip. Either way, the trucks were the main vehicles involved in the crash. So, was the caravan involved at all??
The B double truck going southbound towing the Scotts transport trailers apparently crossed into the Northbound lane. Allegedly the driver was a contractor from another company towing the trailers back to Scotts transport and is possibly a 457 visa driver.
Why are we bringing in drivers from other countries who possibly dont know our road rules or even be able to read our road signs and letting them loose on our highways?
Truck driving is not included in categories for 457 skilled visa holders … I just googled 457 Visa’s and found this from a crash in Sydney.
How many times do we see the trucks take over the road. Most don’t care about you or me we just get in their way. I have been passed while I was at 100km in a government car. Just south of Port Wakefield where the road is close to the sea. He went over double lines for about 400 meters. I braked heavily so he could come onto my side to avoid him having a head on collision with an oncoming car or taking me out. I reported it to police but they did not care. This was on York Peninsula SA. The company above has had other fatal’s and a lot of their trucks were defected last time. But drivers are really pushed by companies. Time is money.