Joseph Winters: Smithfield truck driver charged over fatal Cumberland Hwy crash

A road traffic controller has faced court after police alleged he crashed into a broken down van at the side of the road, killing its 32-year-old driver.

A road traffic controller who struck and killed a man whose van had broken down on a busy highway in Sydney’s west has been granted bail.

Joseph Paul Winters, 41, faced Fairfield Local Court on Friday, charged with dangerous and negligent driving over the tragic crash in Smithfield on Thursday night.

The court heard Winters, a road traffic controller contracted by the RMS, was driving a truck northbound along the Cumberland Hwy at Sturt St when he hit 32-year-old Aziz Alhanyan who police say was standing in front of his broken down van.

The truck continued on and hit another car before coming to a stop, police allege.

Emergency crews were called and worked to revive Mr Alhanyan, but sadly, he could not be revived.

The scene of the crash on the Cumberland Hwy at Sturt St, Smithfield. Picture: Google Maps

A male passenger who was seated in the van at the time of the collision was treated at the scene and taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.

The driver of the car and his two passengers escaped unharmed.

On Friday morning, police charged Winters at Granville Police Station and he successfully applied for bail in court.

In a police interview, Winters told officers he had seen the van’s hazard lights and attempted to evade the vehicle when the crash occurred.

However, dashcam footage allegedly showed other vehicles slowing and passing the broken down van safely, police alleged.

His lawyer Vinny Vijay, in applying for bail, described the crash as “unfortunate”.

“It’s very unfortunate what has happened. This happens far too often where people in NSW pass away from traffic collisions,” Mr Vijay said.

“There’s a lot of variables at play here.”

The driver of the truck was taken to Westmead Hospital for testing. Picture: Angelo Velardo

He said factors including road conditions, visibility and the safety measures of the victim in pulling over on the high-speed road needed to be assessed to determine if Winters was driving dangerously.

The court heard Winters had a criminal record for drug matters and was “no stranger to the law” but had a gap in offending for nine years.

Magistrate Suzanne Seagrave said Winters did not pose a risk on bail if he agreed to stay off the roads and forfeit $5000.

He will return to court in June.