Trucking Association Calls for Better Investigation Processes

BY SARAH JAMES

The Australian Trucking Association is calling for a change in the way truck crashes are investigated.

It comes following a horror crash at COORANBONG on Monday which caused a man's death and saw the M1 motorway closed to traffic.

A huge blaze was sparked as a fuel tanker clipped a parked truck, and the tanker full of ethanol exploded.

The truck driver who collided with the end of the pile-up sadly died at the scene.

Geoff Crouch from the Trucking Association says the federal government needs to give the Australian Transport Safety Bureau the power to investigate truck accidents.

In the past twelve months, NSW truck fatalities have increased by 86%. NSW is the only state to experience this trend, with the rest of Australia having their number of truck-related deaths fall.

At present, there is no clear reason for this increase in fatalities.

Geoff Crouch says the involvement of the Australian Safety Transport Bureau will allow better safety measures and regulations to be put in place.

"We are calling for the appropriate level of funding to be given to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau...to investigate serious road accidents and to come back with recommendations on how to prevent them from happening again," he said.

Australian Trucking Association

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.