NEW ZEALAND TRUCK CRASH

Driver dead after truck 'embedded' in RSA

By Hayden Donnell  New Zealand Herald

9:46 AM Tuesday Jul 17, 2012

The driver died after his truck and trailer unit crashed into the RSA on SH1 at Bulls. Photo / SNPA / Ross Setford

A 37-year-old Dannevirke, New Zealand, man has been killed after crashing his truck into the Bulls Returned Servicemen’s Association building on State Highway 1.

Emergency services were called to the crash on High Street in the Bulls, North Island, town center at about 3.38am.

Senior constable Chris Craig said the driver had failed to negotiate a slight bend before slamming into the RSA.

Bulls chief fire officer Brian Carter said the driver was crushed inside his cab when the truck became "embedded" in the building's outer veranda.

Fire crews freed him from his cab and performed CPR but he was declared dead by paramedics arriving on the scene, Mr Carter said.

They had to work carefully because the truck was carrying potentially flammable containers of pressurized oxygen and LPG, he said.

Mr Craig said police were investigating whether fatigue was a factor in the crash.

State Highway 1 had been reopened by 9 am, but drivers were being cautious of debris from the crash, he said.

Peter’s Comment

Fortunately accidents like this are fairly rare, but never-the-less is an occupational hazard for drivers who are generally overworked and under-paid.

While the cause of this accident is still to be determined, one thing is evident in the transport industry. Employers and customers insist that drivers work to conditions that would not be tolerable in an office or factory. And what is worse is that governments approve.

If you are wondering why a driver is on the road at 3.30 am, it is so that others can work in offices and factories during the daytime.