Two women dead after truck, three cars collide on Main South Rd at Wattle Flat

Two Queensland women have died, multiple people in hospital, and a man released on police bail after a horrific multi-vehicle crash south of Adelaide.

• ‘Like a bomb had gone off’

A witness has recounted the devastating aftermath of a horror multi-vehicle crash on the Fleurieu Peninsula, which killed two women and left seven others in hospital, saying the scene was “like a bomb had gone off”.

A truck and three vehicles collided on Main South Rd at Wattle Flat, about 68km south of Adelaide, at about 12.15pm on Monday.

The truck and its trailer collided with three vehicles: a black Ford sedan, a silver Ford sedan and a white ute.

Major Crash at the scene of a serious accident near Wattle Flat, south of Myponga on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

A truck and three vehicles collided on Main South Rd at Wattle Flat, about 68km south of Adelaide, at about 12.15pm on Monday. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Two women from Queensland, who were rear passengers in the silver Ford, both died of their injuries.

A 44-year-old woman died at the scene and the second woman, a 64-year-old, died later in hospital.

Seven other people were injured in the crash, some of them critically.

The driver of the silver Ford, a 43-year-old man, was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

A 14-year-old male passenger also went to hospital with minor injuries.

The driver of the ute, a 48-year-old Hay Flat man, was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

The driver of the black Ford, a 38-year-old woman, and her two passengers, a 45-year-old man and a 10-year-old girl, were all taken to hospital.

Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The driver of the truck, a 35-year-old Victor Harbor man, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

He has been arrested by Major Crash investigators and charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of causing serious harm by dangerous driving and four counts of causing harm by dangerous driving.

The man was given police bail and is set to appear in Christies Beach Magistrates Court in December.

The crash closed the main thoroughfare between the towns of Myponga and Yankalilla for several hours while Major Crash Unit detectives investigated the circumstances around the accident. It has now reopened.

Normanville resident Gavin Schubert, 72, drove past the crash scene and described it as “horrific”.

Mr Schubert said about 10 minutes had passed from the reported time of the crash and paramedics were working on the injured.

“It was like a bomb had gone off,” Mr Schubert said.

“There was one car in a driveway that looked like it had been hit in the driver’s seat, and there was a ute, and the ambulance got working on (a man inside), and another car finished up in the guard rails.

Police and emergency services have rushed to Main South Rd on Wattle Flat, after a crash between multiple cars and a truck. Picture: 7NEWS

Main South Rd was closed to all traffic between Main St at Yankalilla and Forktree Rd at Myponga. Picture: 7NEWS

The truck was on its side and there was concrete everywhere on the road, which makes me think it was coming from a demolition (site).

“It threw me while I was driving – you don’t expect to see that.”

Main South Rd was closed to all traffic between Main St at Yankalilla and Forktree Rd at Myponga.

It’s understood the driver of the truck was returning home from Adelaide after picking up a load of rubbish from a dump before jackknifing and partly tipping over.

Other motorists passing through the aftermath of the crash saw paramedics trying to help a trapped driver of the ute.

Major Crash officers survey the scene. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Another vehicle had its side torn off, while a third car was wedged against a barrier.

Locals say the stretch of road where the accident happened is notorious for close calls, especially on its bends.

The crash was just a kilometre away from where another terrifying close call involving a truck occurred on the same road on Sunday.

In that disturbing incident, dashcam footage shows a truck carrying live sheep pulling into oncoming traffic to avoid a 4WD, which had to slow for a bike.

Video showed the truck crossing double-lines over a bridge as it swerved to avoid a 4WD, which had come to a sudden stop after coming up behind a peddle trike.

The vision showed the truck pulling into oncoming traffic and nearly ploughing into an approaching vehicle.

Major Crash officers examine the road. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Ugly Dog Transport owner/manager Luke Bruce told The Advertiser the truck driver had contacted him “straight after it happened”.

“I was sent the footage this morning and had a meeting with drivers reminding them about the hazards on the road,” Mr Bruce said.

He said the footage showed that even if the 4WD wasn’t in front of the truck, his driver would have had “no option but to cross the double white lines to avoid the peddle trike on the narrow bridge”.

“The truck was trying to avoid the white 4WD that had to suddenly stop after coming across the peddle bike on a narrow bridge, through a windy road,” Mr Bruce said.

“(On) that section of the road there are a lot of narrow bridges, overhanging trees and tight corners and the sooner this road gets an upgrade the better.”