HORRIFYING ACCIDENT A WARNING TO ALL OF US

You have to feel for the family of deceased truckie Steve Bowen. Mr Bowen was killed in a horrific truck crash on the Bruce Highway just south of Townsville on Tuesday night.

We should also feel for the emergency services who had to deal with the carnage on Tuesday night and well into yesterday morning.

A Townsville police officer described the fatal truck crash as one of the worst he had seen in his 34 years of service.

Mr Bowen was the driver of a Bdouble truck, the cabin of which was crushed by a heavy piece of equipment that came loose after another semi-trailer lost control on the winding section of road.

Senior Sergeant Scot Warrick said a northbound semi-trailer lost control at 10.10pm about 400m north of the Townsville crematorium.

He said it was carrying a concrete and steel pumping device, on the back of truck.

It was very large and heavy.

“At that point, in an attempt to regain control that vehicle appears to have crossed over to the incorrect side of the road,” Snr-sgt Warrick said.

At the same time a B-double heading south collided with the trailer forcing the pumping device loose and it hit the cabin of the B-double.

Vision released by police showed the horrifying extent of the crash, with debris tossed metres off the side of the highway while fruit destined for supermarkets from the B-double was strewn across the road.

“I’ve been at the scene and after 34 years of police work, I can tell you that it’s one of the most confronting scenes I’ve ever witnessed,” Sen-sgt Warrick said. “It was a catastrophic and confronting.” It’s something we as drivers, passengers and road users should be keenly aware of.

Nineteen people have died Townsville roads already this year.

And it’s not just the families that have to deal with the devastating heartache of losing a loved one.

Emergency service personnel also have to go home and deal with the traumatic scenes.

We are just a month out from Christmas, no one wants to have to deal with the heartache the family of Mr Bowen is confronted by now.

As Sen-sgt Warrick says, we need everyone to take as much care as they possibly can; don’t drive fatigued and drive to the road conditions.