A head-on smash between two trucks has continued a horror run of road deaths on the Sturt Highway, with three people killed in three crashes in the past three weeks.
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The latest tragedy happened late on Friday night, when a truck driver could not be saved after his rig collided with another on the highway near Darlington Point.
The man was the third person to die in crashes - all involving trucks - on the stretch of the Sturt between Darlington Point and Carrathool since November 9.
Friday night's crash closed the highway for more than 17 hours and investigators have appealed for anyone who may have witnessed it to come forward.
Police said the two trucks collided head-on on the highway near the Kidman Way intersection at Waddi about 10.30pm, trapping the drivers of both vehicles.
Officers helped one of the drivers, a 48-year-old man, before NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived. However, he died at the scene.
The other truck driver, a 28-year-old man, was treated at the crash scene before being taken to Griffith Base Hospital in a stable condition.
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said the surviving driver was treated by paramedics for shoulder, chest and leg injuries.
Police set up a crime scene and the road remaining closed for a significant amount of time as crash investigators pieced together what happened.
Officers from the NSW Police crash investigation unit remained on the scene throughout Friday night and for much of Saturday.
The Sturt Highway was closed from Reas Lane at Gillenbah to the Kidman Way at Waddi until about 3.40pm on Saturday, when the road reopened under alternating (stop/slow) traffic conditions.
The highway reopened completely about 5.30pm on Saturday.
Friday night's incident was the third fatal crash on the stretch of the Sturt Highway between the Carrathool turn-off and Narrandera in just over three weeks.
On November 22, an 18-year-old man died after three trucks travelling in the same direction collided at a roadworks site on the highway near Carrathool.
The other two drivers were taken to hospital.
One of them was ejected from their truck and suffered serious head and back injuries. The other was uninjured and underwent mandatory testing.
On November 9, a driver - believed to have been aged in his 20s - died when his car and a truck collided on the Sturt just west of Gillenbah.
The truck driver, a 54-year-old man, was taken to hospital for mandatory testing.
The same section of highway has also been the scene of two other fatal crashes since July.
On September 4, a fiery crash involving a truck and car on the highway near the Euroley Road intersection, between Darlington Point and Narrandera, claimed the life of a 24-year-old man.
The 38-year-old truck driver was not injured, but has since been charged with dangerous driving occasioning death and negligent driving occasioning death and remains before the courts.
Further west, a man died in a single-vehicle crash between Carrathool and Darlington Point in July.
The 58-year-old was a passenger in a Toyota HiLux at the time of the incident, which happened about 70 kilometres east of Hay, and died at the scene.
The ute driver, a 54-year-old woman, sustained minor injuries.
She has been charged with negligent driving occasioning death and remains before the courts.
Anyone who witnessed Friday night's two-truck crash, or who has dashcam vision of it, should contact police or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.
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.
