Driver Charged Following Sydney Multi-Vehicle Crash Injuring Six

The serious road crash that happened in Sydney last month has resulted in the driver of a truck being charged. The driver’s truck lost control, colliding with eight vehicles and resulting in the injury of six people.

The truckie will appear in court on a number of dangerous driving charges after apparently causing the multi-vehicle crash north of Sydney in October.

According to reports the 40 year old truckie will face two counts of dangerous driving, a single count of negligent driving and six counts of causing bodily harm after 6 people were injured in the crash at Dee Why. The New South Wales police announced the charges for the multi-vehicle crash on October 21.

Apparently the man’s truck was travelling down a steep hill from Warringah Road towards Pittwater Road when it lost control, crossed northbound lanes and mounted a median strip before colliding with at least 8 cars stopped at a traffic light.

The man’s licence was immediately suspended by the NSW authorities and he was issued with a notice to attend court on January 19, 2015 because his 10 tonne truck may also have been defective. The driver initially claimed that the brakes on the rig had failed as he drove down the hill and into the 8 parked vehicles.

According to reports the truck crushed at least one vehicle – a Mazda 3. Two off-duty police officers were inside the vehicle and sustained injuries. One of the police officers lay in hospital in a coma.

An article on Fullyloaded.com.au quoted NSW police who said:

“A total of six people were injured as a result of the crash. Four sustained minor injuries. More seriously injured were a man and woman, both off-duty police officers, who were trapped for a period of time in the Mazda 3,” NSW Police says.

“All have since been released from hospital, except the female off-duty officer who remains in a rehabilitation facility for ongoing treatment.”

Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au

The crash had serious consequences for other road users as well with the police launching a 2 day compliance operation which targeted Pantech and Tautliner trucks throughout Sydney.  The vehicle that caused the Warringah crash was apparently defective. It lead to the police and RMS in the state embarking on a 2 day blitz to tackle truck non-compliance because of the number of heavy vehicle crashes.

This accident should serve as a costly reminder to others in the road transport industry about the importance of heavy vehicle compliance, particularly because of the number of people that were injured.

The section of the road where the accident occurred is apparently notorious for accidents involving heavy vehicles and members of the public have expressed their frustration that authorities have not addressed the risks associated with the road.