Driver killed in truck crash

Press, 8 February 1985, Page 1

Driver killed in truck crash

Part of the Main South Road at Templeton was closed for about four hours yesterday after a fatal collision about 12.30 p.m. involving two trucks. The man killed, the driver of one of the trucks, was Keith Fraser Robertson, aged 20, of Ikamatua, a township 54km northeast of Greymouth. Mr Robertson was the driver of an Ahaura Transport, Ltd, articulated truck which was in collision with the trailer of another articulated truck, owned by Lyttles Transport, Ltd, of Methven. The accident happened near the intersection of the Main South Road and Marshs Road, as the Lyttles Transport truck was about to make a turn, said a Hornby police spokesman. Mr Robertson died soon after. The Fire Service had to use cutting equipment to free his body from the badly damaged cab of the truck. The driver of the other truck was not hurt. An oily substance, believed to be tallow, spilled from the trailer on to the road after the accident. Traffic was diverted on a side route through Templeton as workmen spent about four hours spreading sand on the road, removing the wreckage, and repairing damaged parts of the road. A crane was needed to remove the truck and trailer. The Main South Road was reopened at 4.45 p.m.