What caused Sunday’s Bruce Highway hell

The region’s major tow truck operator has opened up on what he believes caused bedlam on the Bruce Highway this weekend.

Clayton's Towing photos from a multi-vehicle pileup on the Bruce Highway at Forest Glen which created major logjam.

A COMBINATION of wet weather, school holiday traffic and "driver mistakes" were believed to be behind two serious Bruce Highway crashes that caused major traffic logjams yesterday, according to Mike Clayton.

The Bruce Highway was shut down twice yesterday, the first about 11.30am from a 4WD and caravan rollover, the second an eight-car pileup about 3pm.

Both crashes unfolded within a kilometre of one another, one a stretch of road with ongoing upgrades.

FIVE PEOPLE HURT IN EIGHT-CAR PILEUP

4WD TOWING CARAVAN ROLLS ON BRUCE HWY

 

CRASH: A 4WD towing a caravan have had a major crash southbound on the Bruce Highway this morning. Picture Clayton's Towing

 

Mr Clayton, the boss of Clayton's Towing said until yesterday's chaos, the roads had been quiet.

"Sunday traffic was back to how it used to be pre-COVID-19," Mr Clayton said.

"There was a lot of people on the road."

He said the 4WD and caravan clean-up was a massive task - followed soon after by the pileup.

"We had multiple trucks and an excavator for the caravan, it was a big job," he said.

"And as soon as the guys got back the second one happened.

"With two lanes it's never easy to get through, but the drivers did pretty well in letting the emergency services through first, then us.

"The wet weather definitely played a part too.

"It just shows that one small mistake, going a bit too quick, can lead to one major disaster."

Originally published as