A driver has told of the horrifying moment an out-of-control truck smashed through a concrete barrier on Bulli Pass and landed within a metre of his car, before exploding into flames.
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Nathan Ford, from Tongarra, was travelling up the Pass when the carnage unfolded right in front of him about 3.30pm on Monday.
The 23-year-old was almost cleaned-up when the tipper truck and trailer, travelling downhill, crashed into multiple power poles, hit the barrier, flipped onto its side and came to a halt in front of him. It then burst into flames.
"The truck was heading down the Pass, it's hit the barricade and then rolled over. It caught on fire and slid down the hill towards my car," Mr Ford said.
"I kind of put it [the car] in reverse to go back down."
Mr Ford, who had just finished work for the day and was heading to his girlfriend's place in Panania, said the truck came within about a metre of his car.
"As I was trying to put it in reverse, it [the truck] started rolling down the hill; the tray has disconnected and slid down, and I've just rolled down the hill trying to get away from it," he said.
Mr Ford described the close call as stressful but said he was "all good" as he spoke with the Mercury.
"If I'd been 10 seconds quicker, I probably wouldn't be in this spot now," he said.
The truck also hit two parked cars. Remarkably, the truck driver - a man aged in his 30s - was the only person injured.
He was taken to Wollongong Hospital with a fractured arm and minor abrasions.
NSW Ambulance Illawarra duty operations manager Inspector Norm Rees said the truckie was "very, very lucky" and his injuries were "relatively minor ... considering the damage".
"It looks like he's travelled down the jersey barrier for a couple of hundred metres," Inspector Rees said.
"The jersey barrier's probably saved a lot of further damage and saved a lot of lives."
Lisa Fletcher lives five doors down from where the accident happened and was alerted to the chaos by two loud bangs.
"Living on the Pass you're used to hearing brakes and then the eventual smash behind it. It was just louder than normal and with the bang from the power lines you knew straight away someone had hit something pretty hard," Ms Fletcher said.
Some residents were told to stay inside due to the danger posed by downed power lines.
Others unable to get home were given access by 5pm, but told they'd be without power for some time as Endeavour Energy crews replaced damaged poles.
Firefighters cleaned up the truck's load of sand, with some of it used to mop-up a diesel spill and transformer fluid from a downed pole.
The Pass is expected to remain closed until Tuesday morning.
Diversions are in place via the M1 Princes Motorway or Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
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Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
