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Two people killed, multiple injured on the M1 after truck collides with four cars

A TRUCK driver has been charged following a fiery five-car smash which killed two people on the M1 north of Sydney last night. Six others were taken to hospital after the crash during peak-hour traffic.

Two dead in fatal car-truck collision near Sydney

A TRUCK driver has been charged following a fiery five-car smash which killed two people on the M1 north of Sydney last night.

It is alleged the 30-year-old’s truck clipped the rear of one car before bursting into flames during the commute home near the Mooney Mooney Bridge about 5pm.

Two men in a Ford ute, aged 19 and 52, died in the pileup.

They are yet to be formally identified.

Six others were taken to hospital after a horror peak hour smash on the M1 north of Sydney.

Images from the scene showed flames and massive plumes of black smoke rising above the steep, straight stretch of the northbound lanes of the motorway.

Two people have been killed after a truck crashed into the back of at least two cars. Picture: Seven News.
Two people have been killed after a truck crashed into the back of at least two cars. Picture: Seven News.
Fire fighters douse the wreckage with foam. Picture: Seven News
Fire fighters douse the wreckage with foam. Picture: Seven News
Aerial footage shows the horror scene. Picture: Seven News
Aerial footage shows the horror scene. Picture: Seven News

And aerial footage showed the horrifying scale of the wreckage, with multiple cars strewn across the highway and one crushed up against the front of the truck.

Firefighters doused the wreckage in foam and a tarpaulin was placed over the vehicle up against the front of the truck.

Thick black smoke billowed high into the sky from the crash scene. Picture: NSW Rural Fire Service
Thick black smoke billowed high into the sky from the crash scene. Picture: NSW Rural Fire Service

The two people that died were in this car which had gone under the truck.

Two other cars, one burnt out, laid wrecked nearby while a fourth car was turned 180 degrees by the force of the collision, coming to a halt 15m further up the road.

Stuart Thomas watched the collision unfold from his rear view mirror.

“(I) watched it (in) the rear view mirror … I was about 10 cars in front on the rise and heard the bang and saw the flames. I thought the truck had hit the car in front,” he posted on Facebook.

There are huge delays for drivers. Picture: Seven News
There are huge delays for drivers. Picture: Seven News
Traffic is banked up to 7 kilometres. Picture: Seven News
Traffic is banked up to 7 kilometres. Picture: Seven News

Six people, including the 30-year-old male truck driver who suffered no injuries, were rushed to hospital.

A 75-year-old woman, who was driving a Kia Rio, got out of her car before she was transported to Royal North Shore, with pain in her left arm and both lower legs.

Four women, aged 44, 35, 53, and 62, were taken to Gosford Hospital along with the truck driver. All were in stable conditions last night.

Meanwhile in Sydney’s west, a van driver suffered facial injuries after colliding with a car on the M7 at Eastern Creek about 3pm.

The truck driver was charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

He was also charged with negligent driving occasioning death and negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

His licence was suspended and he was granted bail to appear in Gosford Local Court later this month.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/two-people-killed-on-the-m1-after-truck-collides-with-two-cars/news-story/c6cbaf8477896c6a2677991cfcffde04