A Woman is Dead and A Young Girl is Seriously Injured after Horror Smash near Telegraph Point.

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A woman has tragically died and a young girl has been taken to the John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition after a horrific smash on the Pacific Highway this morning.

Emergency crews were called to the highway near Telegraph Point just before 9am to reports of an accident where three vehicles including a B-double, two sedans and a utility collided.

One woman, the driver of a sedan sadly died at the scene.

The 6-year-old girl was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition with a suspected broken leg and possible pelvis injuries.

The Pacific Highway is still closed in both directions with diversions in place.

For the latest on the closures check www.livetraffic.com 

EARLIER:

The Hunter's Westpac Rescue helicopter attended a serious accident near Telegraph Point this morning where one woman tragically lost her life.

Emergency crews were called to the accident at about 8:50am.

Three vehicles including a B-double, two sedans and a utility, were involved in the serious accident on the Pacific Highway at Telegraph Point and emergency crews are still working to free someone who is trapped in the wreckage.

There are multiple patients being treated including a 6-year-old girl who has been taken to hospital with a possible leg and pelvis fractures.

The highway is closed in both directions and diversions are in place.

For the latest on the closures check www.livetraffic.com 

Woman Tragically Dies in Serious Crash at Telegraph Point

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Hunter's Westpac Rescue helicopter attended a serious accident near Telegraph Point this morning where one woman tragically lost her life.

Emergency crews were called to the accident at about 8:50am.

Three vehicles including a B-double, two sedans and a utility, were involved in the serious accident on the Pacific Highway at Telegraph Point and emergency crews are still working to free someone who is trapped in the wreckage.

There are multiple patients being treated including a 6-year-old girl who has been taken to hospital with a possible leg and pelvis fractures.

The highway is closed in both directions and diversions are in place.

For the latest on the closures check www.livetraffic.com 

UPDATE 1PM: Fire Breaks Out on Ash Island

BY JESSICA ROUSE and IAN CROUCH

UPDATE: 1pm The fire burnt through 11 hectares and is now under control.

Crews still on the scene.

UPDATE: 10:37am The fire is now within containment lines at Ash Island.

Around 40 crew and a dozen trucks are still on the scene.

Fire and Rescue NSW say the fire should be out in the next couple of hours.

UPDATE: 9:37am Eight hectare of grass is now well alight and still moving.

Nine Fire and Rescue trucks, as well as one each of Rural Fire Service and National Parks are on the scene trying to extinguish the blaze.

A shed was under threat at around 9 o'clock, but is now being protected by fire fighters.

There's a fair bit of smoke hovering over Hexham and there is some traffic affected both directions on Maitland Road at Millams Road.

UPDATE: 8:10am Four hectares of grass is well alight on Ash Island

Four crews working to extinguish the blaze.

EARLIER:

Fire crews are trying to extinguish a blaze on Ash Island, Hexham which broke out this morning.

Four Fire and Rescue NSW trucks were called to reports of a car being set alight in bush off Maitland Road at Hexham just after 6 o'clock.

The car fire spread to some grass.

It comes after a car fire is thought to have started the massive blaze near Richmond Vale around Leggetts Drive which burnt through around 920 hectares this week.

Horror weekend for Port Stephen's koalas

BY DECLAN PAYNE and JESSICA ROUSE

Port Stephen's koala population have had a horror weekend with at least five hit by cars.

Sadly one koala has died, and another is reported to have a fractured leg.

The warmer weather is said to be to blame for the increasing number of koalas on the move and being put in harms way.

Port Stephens MP Kate Washington believes the government could be doing a lot more to stop this devastation to the species.

"What it could be doing and should have done last year is not sell the Mambo Wetlands which is core koala habitat. The other thing the government could be doing is helping support a great initiative which is the development of a koala hospital here in Port Stephens."

She said it's also the responsibility of the community to be more aware on the road.

"We must all take some responsibility and keep a good eye out because our koalas in Port Stephens are under threat. They're under threat from over-development and we must all stay very alert of that fact."

Man charged over fatal crash in Mayfield

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A man will face Newcastle Local Court in August after he was charged over the fatal crash on Industrial Drive last Monday.

Just before 11:30am (Monday 24 July 2017), emergency services were called to the intersection of Industrial Drive and Tourle Street in Mayfield following reports a Holden Astra and a Ford Territory had collided.

A 65-year-old woman, the passenger in the Holden tragically died at the scene while both the driver of the Holden and the Ford were taken to John Hunter Hospital in stable conditions for further treatment.

Following investigations from the Newcastle Crash Investigation Unit the 31-year-old driver of the Ford attended Maitland Police Station on Saturday (29 July 2017) where he was arrested.

He was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death; cause bodily harm by misconduct; negligent driving occasioning death; negligent driving; and proceed through red traffic light.

He was conditionally bailed to appear in court on Thursday 24th August 2017.

Scene of the accident last Monday Image Tyson Cottrill NBN News

UPDATED: Another fatality on the Hunter's roads

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

UPDATE:

Police now believe the man who tragically lost his life near Aberdeen this morning may have been hitch-hiking at the time.

Emergency services were called to the New England Highway 5km south of Aberdeen at about 4:40am where they found a man had sustained multiple injuries after being hit by a car.

Police say he looked to have been hitch-hiking between Aberdeen and Muswellbrook.

The 18-year-old female driver of the car which allegedly hit him was treated for shock, and underwent mandatory testing at Muswellbrook Hospital.

Police are urging anyone who may have seen the man before 4:30am today to contact Muswellbrook Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

EARLIER:

There's been another tragic road fatality in the Hunter this morning, the third in just three days.

A male pedestrian has been hit by a car on the New England Highway about 5 kilometres south of Aberdeen.

Emergency services were called to the scene at about 4:40am - one southbound lane of the highway is closed and traffic is expected to be disrupted while the scene is examined this morning.

The female driver of the vehicle remained at the scene to provide assistance.

She was taken to Muswellbrook Hospital for mandatory testing.

It comes after a 17-year-old motorbike rider died in a crash at West Wallsend on Sunday, and a pedestrian struck and killed by a semi-trailer at Karuah on Monday morning.

Lemon Tree Passage speed change

BY JESSICA ROUSE

In what some believe is yet another cash grab to raise revenue, the speed limit is changing along parts of Lemon Tree Passage.

The speed limit will be dropped by 10km/hr in some spots from next Tuesday.

It's in a bid to bring down the number of road accidents which happen along the stretch of road. In the five years to December 2015 there were 43 crashes, 33 resulting in injury.

Image portstephensexaminer.com.au

Notorious black spots get funds

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Dozens of roads across the state are getting a much needed upgrade, including Maitland Vale Road in the Hunter.

Maitland Vale Road is a notorious black spot and it's been noticed by the Federal Government with a $775,000 funding injection announced to fix it.

The government is undertaking 52 black spot road projects throughout NSW under the Black Spot Project over the next 12 months. The government say the project reduces fatalities by 30 per cent and with 249 injury crashes across the 52 black spot projects, funding couldn't have come much sooner.

Federal Member for Lyne David Gillespie says the roads decided on for the black spot funding are based on risk and previous accidents and both fatality and serious injury numbers in the area.

"Road networks are so important because everyone travels them, road accidents can be fatal, the damage to individuals and families from road accidents is really distressing. The coalition government is committed to and have increased roads to recovery funding and black spot funding,"

"We would like to see better infrastructure cross Australia but we target in this program the most dangerous spots and it doesn't replace existing state government funding or council funding, its extra funds targeted at the most dangerous places," said Lyne MP David Gillespie.

Car plunges off Swansea Bridge

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

A woman had a lucky escape when her car crashed off Swansea Bridge last night.

The woman, in her 30's, lost control of her Ford Falcon in the wet, and crashed through a guard rail and into the water.

She managed to free herself and swim to shore, and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Authorities are trying to work out how to recover the car, and boaties are being advised to steer clear with the car submerged between two of the bridge's eastern pylons.

Image nbnnews Twitter

Driver escapes serious injury after bizarre crash

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

Police say its lucky no one was injured after a spectacular crash at Birmingham Gardens early this morning.

The driver of a car lost control on Sandgate Road near Moore Street just after 2:30am, slamming into three parked cars and a trailer carrying a boat.

The force of the crash caused the boat to topple off the trailer and onto a driveway.

The driver escaped serious injury.

New Code of Conduct for Hunter licensed drivers and their insurers

BY JESSICA ROUSE

It can often be a headache to liaise not only with car insurers, but car repairers after an accident, but a new mandatory Code of Conduct could be making it a whole lot easier for Hunter motorists.

The NSW Government is making the move to lift industry standards by championing the mandatory code, which will better protect the rights of licensed drivers.

The main amendments to the code include:
- Mandated compliance in NSW
- Minimum training and experience requirements for estimators and assessors
- The NSW Government will appoint neutral parties to conduct mediation and determinations of disputes
- Mandatory reporting of any unsafe repairs.

"This just restores a bit of power and a little bit of security back to vehicle owners that they know if there is a dispute, there will be someone who will be bale to mediate - someone who isn't beholden to the smash repairer or the insurance industry," said Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald.

The Parliamentary Secretary said the disputes between dodgy repairers and insurers "has caused a lot of anxiety among consumers" and this new code will improve the safety and transparency of insurance assessments and furthermore, repair work.

The code will also work to avoid potentially costly legal actions against large insurers.

Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, Matt Kean, says "this is another example of this Government reducing red tape and will help consumers avoid getting caught in the middle of disputes between insurers and vehicle repairers".

The new code will come into effect from 1st May, and for more information go to: www.industry.nsw.gov.au

A lucky escape for a man on Cessnock Road overnight

BY JESSICA ROUSE

A man has made a lucky escape overnight at Gillieston Heights after a truck collided with the rear of his car.

Just after midnight, the car was attempting to make a left hand turn on Cessnock Road, when the truck came up behind hitting the rear of the car.

The driver of the car was taken to John Hunter Hospital for suspected neck injuries.

Neither man were seriously injured.