Woman killed at Brookvale after being hit by a truck

A FLORAL tribute has appeared at the site of a fatal crash on the Northern Beaches, which left a 61-year-old woman dead after she was struck and dragged 100m by a truck.

Flowers have been left as a tribute for a61-year-old woman, who was hit by a truck on Pittwater Rd, Brookvale yesterday. Picture: Carly Earl

A FLORAL tribute has appeared at the site of a fatal crash on the Northern Beaches, which left a 61-year-old woman dead after she was struck and dragged 100m by a truck.

A truckie has been charged over the crash and police are continuing to investigate.

Police initially believed the woman, Jo-Ann Thwaites, of Allambie Heights, may have been hit by a truck that stopped at the scene but investigations revealed she was hit by two Isuzu trucks in succession.

She was allegedly hit by the first truck, as she walked across a crossing, and dragged underneath hit before she was then hit by another Isuzu truck behind it. The woman was dragged up to 100 metres by the second truck.

The first truck allegedly did not stop, while the second truck did. The 57-year-old driver of the second truck was visibly distraught.

Police attended a business in Girawee at 4pm and arrested the alleged driver of the first truck, a 36-year-old man. His truck was seized and will undergo forensics examination.

He was taken to Blacktown Police Station and charged with negligent driving occasioning death and failing to stop and render aid after impact causing death.

The driver was granted police bail to appear in Manly Local Court on June 15.

Mrs Thwaites was crossing the road near the intersection of Condamine St and Old Pittwater Rd in Brookvale just before 9am when she was struck by the first truck.

Police at the scene of a fatal accident at Brookvale. Picture: Troy Snook

Ben Davis, who works across the road from where it happened said he was one of the first at the scene and that his thoughts went out to her family.

“I got there one or two minutes after it happened, I saw the body underneath,” he said.

“Then all the police and fireys started to turn up.”

He said the truck driver that stopped spent half an hour sitting in the back of an ambulance.

All northbound lanes of Pittwater Rd were closed after the accident and motorists were diverted via Old Pittwater Rd, while southbound traffic was also affected and motorists were being advised to use Warringah Rd instead of continuing south through Brookvale.

The truck involved in the accident. Picture: Troy Snook

Police then set in place a contraflow arrangement, using one northbound lane and two southbound lanes, although traffic remained heavy.

All northbound lanes were again closed just before 10am before a contraflow was reintroduced about 11.40am.

A Traffic Management Centre spokesman said traffic remained heavy in both directions for some time after the reintroduction of the contraflow and Roads and Maritime Services was advising motorists to avoid the area altogether.

The Traffic Management Centre spokesman said some buses were delayed by more than an hour and some services were cancelled altogether due to the disruption.

Police from the Crash Investigation Unit and Northern Beaches local area command were examining the crash scene to determine the cause of the tragedy and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

The flowers placed on Pittwater Rd this morning. Picture: Carly Earl