The truck that thundered through the car park at McDonald’s Fairy Meadow had faulty brakes, according to Roads and Maritime Services.
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And RMS has also issued defect notices for every other truck in Sydney-based company Hari Om’s fleet.
On Monday morning a 21-year-old man lost control of his truck as he travelled down old Mt Ousley Road.
The truck ploughed through the Princes Highway intersection and raced through the car park, punching cars out of the way as though they were toys, one witness said.
It came to rest at the Northgate apartments, a white SUV trapped between it and the complex fence.
Read more: ‘Driver collapsed into my arms'
Roads and Maritime Director of Compliance Roger Weeks said inspectors checked out the truck at the Unanderra heavy vehicle inspection station.
Inspectors issued two “major grounded” defect notices – which means the truck cannot be moved until the issues are fixed.
“The first was of course for crash damage, which was pretty significant, but the second one was for faulty brakes,” Mr Weeks said.
“We were unable to inspect the front brakes because of the crash damage but on the rear axle, the two tyres on either side, their braking effectiveness was impaired.
“So we would anticipate that was a contributing factor [in the crash].”.
Mr Weeks said the brake faults could have been caused by the driver braking excessively while travelling down Mt Ousley, or it could have been a pre-existing problem.
Read more: Fairy Meadow McDonald’s crash history
With the help of police RMS crews inspected the other 10 trucks in the Hari Om fleet, issuing defects for each one.
Most were deemed minor, however four dealt with serious issues like bald tyres and faulty brakes.
Police investigations into the accident are continuing.
Three people were taken to hospital as a result of Monday’s accident.
A 61-year-old woman who was trapped in the white SUV remained in hospital on Tuesday in a stable condition.
The truck driver was also taken to hospital after aggravating a pre-existing back injury and as of Tuesday morning remained in a stable condition.
Read more: Crash barrier may not be the answer
An 18-year-old female who was injured when the truck hit her car at the roundabout has been discharged from hospital.
It was the third time in 12 years a truck has lost control travelling down old Mt Ousley Road and crashed into the development at the intersection with the Princes Highway.
The two previous accidents occurred in 2006 and 2014.
Fortunately no one has been killed in any of these incidents.