Truck driver charged over double fatal train-truck smash on Barrier Highway
A truckie has been charged with death by dangerous driving after two South Australian train drivers died in a crash between a freight train and a truck just west of the SA-NSW border.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A truck driver has been arrested after the horror crash which claimed the lives of two South Australian train drivers near the New South Wales border.
About 10.30am on Sunday, December 31, emergency services responded to reports of a crash involving a freight train and a road train on the Barrier Highway.
The impact of the crash caused the locomotive to catch fire and several train carriages to derail, blocking the entire highway.
Mick Warren, 48, and a co-worker, 57, both from Port Augusta, were in the locomotive when it struck a road train on the crossing on the Barrier Highway just west of the NSW border into South Australia.
The 75-year-old truck driver, from Queensland, was taken to Broken Hill Hospital with minor injuries.
Major Crash Investigators have subsequently arrested the truck driver and charged him with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
He did not apply for bail and will appear in the Port Pirie Magistrates Court, Tuesday, January 2.
The Barrier Highway remains closed in both directions between Peterborough and the NSW border, and is expected to be closed for most of Monday.
Police have advised motorists coming from NSW will not be able to travel past Broken Hill on the Barrier Highway into SA while motorists travelling east will not be able to travel past Petersburg Road – Peterborough turnoff.
Cranes have been brought in from Port Augusta to assist in the clean-up and clearing the containers, while the road damaged road surface will be inspected for safety.
The deaths are the 115th and 116th lives lost on SA roads compared with 71 at the same time last year.
In a statement, a spokesperson for rail company Pacific National confirmed the fatalities.
“It is with great sadness Pacific National confirms the death of two of our Port Augusta train crew following a serious incident where our locomotive collided with a truck at a crossing in Bindarrah in South Australia, near the New South Wales border,” the statement said.
“Pacific National takes the safety of its employees very seriously and has notified regulators who are investigating.
“This incident is having a profound impact across the organisation, and our first priority is to ensure the highest level of care to the families of our drivers who have tragically died.”
The train had been travelling from Sydney to Perth when the crash happened.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union said the two train drivers were “highly respected members of the rail industry”.
One of the pair was a longstanding RTBU delegate from Pacific National’s Port Augusta depot, the union said.
“They were active members of the Port Augusta community and local sporting clubs,” the union statement read.
“Rail workers across the country are shattered by the tragic fatal collision at Bindarrah today.
“The RTBU sends its deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the two workers.
“They will be dearly missed.
“This is an extraordinarily sad way to end 2023.
“All workers have the right to go to work and come (home) safely at the end of their shift.”
The RTBU said the incident “underscores the urgent need” to improve Australia’s rail safety regime.
Adelaide lounge stabber learns fate – and freedom’s coming soon
A man who brought at least one knife to a violent brawl showed extraordinary aggression, a court has heard as his sentence was handed down.
Finding Flossie: Adelaide gets behind hunt for pinched pooch
The hunt for Flossie the stolen toy poodle has ramped up with the installation of a huge billboard – featuring her cute furry face – as the search enters day four.