Sydney Harbour Bridge crash: CCTV shows driver in wrong lane
Confronting CCTV footage shows the final moments before a fatal head on crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge which police say was the result of the now deceased female driver travelling in the wrong lane “for a very short time.”
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Confronting CCTV footage seen by police shows the now deceased female driver travelling in the wrong lane in the seconds before a fatal head on crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Acting Superintendent Paul Dunstan said footage of the incident reveal the woman, believed to be in her mid 30s, was travelling northbound when she swerved into the southbound lane.
He said the “confronting” tape showed the woman travelling in the lane for a “very short time” before slamming into an oncoming BMW as it headed southbound.
“[The Mitsubishi] crossed two lanes of traffic and collided with a vehicle travelling on the correct side of the road.”
He said it was “too early” to speculate on whether the driver may have merged into the lane thinking it was in fact the correct one.
“It does appear that one lane had lighter traffic in it and crossed perhaps thinking it was a clear line of traffic heading in the right direction but I must admit it’s way too early to say.”
“Traffic conditions were marked out quite clearly … but the investigation is continuing.
During the AM peak, one northbound lane of traffic is converted into a southbound lane. At most other times, there are equal northbound and southbound lanes.
According to the Transport Management Centre, there were three lanes of northbound traffic and four southbound when the incident occurred.
Two passengers travelling in the Mitsubishi, both men believed to be aged in their 30s, were treated for head injuries. They were taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in a serious condition.
The driver of the BMW – a woman believed to be aged in her 40s – was trapped for more than two hours before rescue teams could release her.
“The lady who was trapped in the vehicle for a significant period of time was conscious throughout to she was obviously concerned and in pain, but she was – all things given – in reasonable good spirits,” Cameron Edgar, Chief Superintendent at NSW Ambulance told the ABC this morning.
“No one wants to attend a scene like this. It’s a horrific scene that affects all people involved.”
The BMW driver’s passenger also suffered minor injuries and is in a stable condition.
Officers from Sydney City Police Area Command attended, while the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit will commence an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
A NSW Ambulance spokesman at the scene said the crash was so horrific emergency services split into separate rescue teams with individual commanders to work on each vehicle.
Cameron Edgar, Chief Superintendent at NSW Ambulance was in his car when the crash occurred just 100 metres away from him.
He sprung into action, grabbing lifesaving equipment from his car before rushing to the accident.
“It was a horrible scene,” he told 2GB.
“We were very lucky to have chaplains from emergency services there.”
Due to the gridlocked traffic, firefighters had to make their way on foot from The Rocks Fire Station to transport life saving equipment.
Buses travelling towards the city and north shore have now resumed travelling across the bridge but commuters are being told to expect delays.
Long queues of buses building up in the city. None crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge due to closure following fatal multi car accident. Obviously some services cancelled over next few hours as they sort it all out. This is York near QVB... pic.twitter.com/TCN2d6cmv1
— Björn (@BjornHund) August 26, 2020
Motorists were earlier encouraged to consider working from home and to avoid non-essential travel as emergency services worked on scene.
Emergency Services Minister David Elliot said the incident was a “tragic” reminder of the danger of our roads and the need to take care.
