Blocked drains and a heavy downpour combined to wreak havoc at Dapto Wednesday morning, as flash flooding claimed part of the busy M1 Princes Motorway.
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Four cars and a truck came unstuck about 9am after water up to 50cms deep flooded north and southbound lanes near Fowlers Road, reducing usable roadway to a single lane in each direction.
A Leisure Coast Fruit and Deli delivery truck was involved one of two near-simultaneous collisions, crashing into the back of a Mitsubishi Triton.
The Triton driver, Greg Borg, 43, was on of seven people assessed by paramedics at the scene.
Mr Borg said his car was hit soon after he moved from the inundated left lane into the right lane.
“One minute I’m driving to a dental appointment and the next I’m getting spun around 360 degrees,” he told the Mercury.
“When I came to a rest the only thing I could think of was, who’s going to hit me next?.
“I’ve got a wife and a daughter. I thought, ‘I’m not going to see them again’.”
Mr Borg suffered shock and aggravated a pre-existing injury, and was taken to Wollongong Hospital as a precaution.
According to an RMS spokesman, the road shoulder was swept with a vacuum broom a fortnight ago and the drains were cleared last month.
“[The] blockage was caused by litter thrown from vehicles and leaves which washed down from further up the road, given the heavy rain which fell in a short time frame,” the spokesman said.
“Twice weekly inspections of the road network are carried out and blocked drains are reported and immediately attended to, while the shoulder is swept monthly to remove litter and other debris.”
Prior to the flooding, the roadway had been scheduled to close in early April to allow roads workers to collect litter and clear gutters and drains, the spokesman said.
“A strategy is being developed to target critical areas of the network to address extreme weather events.”
The flood water quickly vanished as road workers used their hands and a broom to unblock the drains.
The truck driver was uninjured however 15 fresh food orders bound for the South Coast would go undelivered, said Leisure Coast co-director Michael Braidotti.
Mr Braidotti said the truck “slid” the length of the Fowlers Road bridge overhead then came to rest against the concrete roadside barrier.
“He hit the brakes,” Mr Braidotti said. “The road was wet it was raining and he’s just slid. He was very shaken up over it all.”
No one was injured in a separate collision which occurred in the northbound lanes.
