SERIOUS INJURY COLLISION – BASS HIGHWAY – SASSAFRAS – 30 SEPTEMBER 2014

At 3.07pm today 30/9/2014 a two vehicle collision occurred just off the Bass Highway on the forecourt of the Caltex Service Station at Sassafras.

A white 1994 Mazda van travelling east on the highway travelled onto the forecourt of the service station and collided with the rear trailer on an Iveco Stralis B-Double combination which was parked.

It took paramedics and other emergency service workers at least 90 minutes to free the driver. As a result of the collision, the driver and sole occupant of the van, a 66 year old man from Latrobe was critically injured and was airlifted to the Royal Hobart Hospital.

The driver of the prime mover, a 48 year old man from Brighton in the states south was not injured. He was in the business at the time but was left shaken by the ordeal.

Police from the Latrobe area, Devonport, Forensics and Crash Investigation attended along with local fire brigades and SES personnel. The Bass Highway remained open while investigations were carried out and the scene cleared.

Crash investigators would like to speak with anyone who may have observed the Mazda van in the area prior to the collision or the collision itself to contact the Burnie Police Station or leave their details on the police assistance number 131 444.