Potential South Eastern Freeway disaster averted as SA Police patrol escorts heavy truck with smoking brakes through traffic lights

UPDATED: A heavy haulage truck guided by quick-thinking police through a packed intersection at the bottom of the South Eastern Freeway today had faulty brakes, it has been confirmed.

A POLICE patrol cleared the way as a truck carrying a giant piece of mining equipment suffered brake problems on the South Eastern Freeway today, escorting it through the Portrush Rd intersection at 70km/h.

The patrol was driving on the uptrack of the freeway when officers noticed smoke coming from the wheels of the Victorian-registered truck, which was carrying a giant Caterpillar elevating scraper, as it exited the Heysen Tunnels about 11.45am.

The officers made a U-turn, activated their lights and sirens and alerted traffic management to arrange control of the traffic lights at the bottom of the freeway.

Lights at the bottom of the freeway were turned green to allow the truck to safely travel through the intersection under police escort.

The truck was eventually able to stop safely on Glen Osmond Rd, near the intersection of Wattle St. No one was injured.

SA Police Traffic Support Branch officer-in-charge Superintendent Bob Fauser described the incident as “a disaster narrowly avoided”.

“The heavy vehicle travelled through the intersection at about 70km/h,” he said.

“The indications are that there was a brake failure under the weight.

“Clearly the fact that smoke was coming from the axles indicates that the brakes were under stress.”

Officers inspected the truck after it stopped on Glen Osmond Rd and a defect notice was issued.

Supt Fauser praised the work of the two officers who guided the truck safely as “extraordinary”.

“(These) particular officer(s) were fast-acting enough to be able to co-ordinate a response that ... avoided disaster,” he said.

Police will allege the inspection of the prime mover showed it had oil in its air tanks, which meant the brakes were malfunctioning, and that neither trailer had working brakes.

It will also be alleged that the second trailer had cracks in the suspension and axle components.

The driver, a 32-year-old from Croydon South in Victoria, was reported and the SA Police investigation into the trucking company is continuing.

Today’s incident coincides with a police blitz — Operation Wayward — on heavy vehicles in Adelaide’s northwest, and comes less than a month after a horror crash at the bottom of the freeway that killed two people.

Heavy Vehicle Enforcement Section police and inspectors from the Transport Department inspected and monitored heavy vehicles today in the industrial areas of Wingfield and Cavan.

A vehicle inspection site was set up on Churchill Rd at Dry Creek.

By 11.30am, 19 of the 48 trucks to be inspected had been defected

Supt Fauser said those results were not good enough for the heavy vehicle industry.

“We know that most drivers and businesses take safety very seriously. However a few don’t. It is those drivers and operators police are targeting,” he said.

“Recently we saw the tragic death of two innocent motorists after a truck crashed at the bottom of the South Eastern Freeway.

“Truck drivers and their companies have a responsibility to do the right thing; as the size and weight of one of the vehicles in a crash increases, so does the severity of the crash.

“For safety’s sake we urge heavy vehicle drivers and companies to do the right thing by making sure they are complying with the law and their industry regulations.”

Transport Department compliance and investigations manager Stephen Smith said department personnel would support police with the blitz.

“This operation will identify heavy vehicles with roadworthiness faults that, if left unmonitored, could have led to or increase the consequences of a serious collision,” he said.

“Operations such as Wayward form part of normal compliance operations undertaken throughout the year, including recent DPTI operations at Port Wakefield and Monteith, to help improve safety on South Australian roads and enforce compliance by all those in the heavy vehicle chain of responsibility.”

Hallett Cove man Thomas Spiess and Ingle Farm woman Jacqui Byrne were killed when a fully laden sewage truck careered through the intersection at the bottom of the freeway at 152km/h on Monday, August 18.