Driver killed and powerlines down in horror crash on Tapleys Hill Rd at Seaton

Photos of a twisted, bent Stobie pole show just how fast a man was going in his ute when he crashed at an estimated 140km/h on Tapleys Hill Rd.

A man has died in a horror crash at Seaton that saw parts of his car including the engine detach on impact.

The black ute crashed into a Stobie pole shortly after 7pm Monday just past the rail crossing on Tapleys Hill Rd, near the Trimmer Parade intersection.

The impact flung debris across the road, completely detaching the engine and sending the wheels more than 50m from the Stobie pole.

The car severely damaged the Stobie pole and downed powerlines, before momentum took it further down the road.

The driver, a West Lakes man, 31, died at the scene.

SA Power Networks and road workers removed the downed Stobie pole, knocked over when a man driving a black ute slammed into it on Tapleys Hill Rd and died. Picture: Emma Brasier.

The wreckage of the vehicle. Picture: Mitch Mott

The crash scene at Seaton on Tuesday morning. Picture: Emma Brasier

A water meter was also damaged in the crash.

Metropolitan Fire Service personnel, ambulance officers and police are all attending the scene, along with SA Power Networks and SA Water.

The road was closed while Major Crash detectives examined the scene but has since reopened.

Residents on Tapleys Hill road were still without power at 11am on Tuesday as crews worked to replace the fallen Stobie pole.

Chris Lane, who has lived on Tapleys Hill Rd for 17 years, was one of the first on the scene, rushing outside when she heard a loud bang at the front of her unit.

“I heard a whooshing sound, the police told me he was doing roughly 140 km/h, and ended up taking out the pole in front of my house,”

Ms Lane said when she arrived on the scene she thought a motorcyclist had crashed, judging by the wreckage on the road, but later discovered debris further up the road was the ute’s engine.

Christine Lane at the crash scene. Picture: Emma Brasier

The downed Stobie pole. Picture: Emma Brasier

“About three months ago there was another fatal accident here, I’ve handled a few accidents but none as bad as this one,” she said.

“They should have a red-light camera here, because from about 3:30 to 5:30 it’s bedlam, they could make a lot of revenue.

“I’ve seen handstands on motorbikes, people go so fast down Trimmer Parade, you can hardly hear yourself talk.”

“Utes, motorbikes, just young guys and cars you hear them every night, speeding,”

“It’s terrible what happened but if it had happened a little earlier [during peak hour] it could have been a lot worse.”

Aditi Singh has lived next door for six months and said she often saw motorists travelling at speed through the Trimmer Parade intersection.

“A lot of people go at high speed along Tapleys at night, especially at 1 or 2am – cars, motorbikes, everything, people are just irresponsible.”

“There’s no red-light or speed camera at the intersection, and that’s well known, they know that and so they speed.”

The ute’s engine detached on impact and was found about 50m up the road. Picture: 7NEWS

The scene of the horrific crash at Seaton. Picture: 7NEWS

Max Hagicostas works at a nearby drive-through bottle shop at the Seaton Hotel and said the pub’s carpark is frequently used for drivers to pull over and exchange details after a crash.

“I see a lot of motorbikes, really who go fast through these lights, they hit one set of lights and then speed through the next.”

The man’s death is the 81st life lost on South Australian roads so far this year compared with 71 at the same time last year.

Police are urging anyone with dashcam footage to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A few hours later, two people were injured, including a man sleeping in the rear of a truck when it crashed in the state’s Mid North.

The Isuzu truck was travelling south on the Barrier Highway at Hallett, north of Burra, when it left the road and crashed into a vehicle parked on an embankment, about 2.45am Tuesday. The driver, a Ridleyton man, 73, suffered minor injuries and was taken to the Jamestown Hospital for treatment.

The passenger sleeping in the rear cabin at the time of the crash, a Kilburn man, 68, was flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The highway was closed for a short time but has since reopened.

In a separate incident, a wanted man was arrested after crashing his car into an embankment on the down track of the South-Eastern Freeway about 8.15pm.

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