10/01/2008

News Item

Father and son double tragedy

AN attempt by two fathers to spend quality time with their young sons turned to tragedy yesterday in two separate truck crashes.

A 12-year-old boy died along with his truck driver father on the Newell Highway near the NSW -Queensland border about 4.30am.

Further south, an 11-year-old boy survived a crash near Nabiac that killed his father, who was at the wheel of a semi-trailer.

The 38-year-old driver died but his son escaped with minor injuries when their truck, loaded with margarine, left the road and rolled several times at about 1am.

Australian Transport Workers Union official Mark Crosdale yesterday called on WorkCover NSW to investigate the crashes.

He said it was common for kids to ride with their parents during school holidays.

"In many cases it's one of the few opportunities they get to spend quality time with their fathers," Mr Crosdale said.

"Often, if you're a long-distance truck driver, you don't spend much time at home."

Mr Crosdale said the fact children were involved in the accidents had hit the industry hard.

"These are tragedies," he said.

Trucks can carry a passenger providing they have appropriate seatbelts and restraints, and children are permitted to travel in a truck's bunk bed so long as there is web matting separating it from the cabin.

The 11-year-old survivor of the Nabiac crash was last night in the care of his Newcastle-based grandparents, after the truck he was travelling in with his dad careered down an embankment.

Police said his father, David Deswarte from Eagleby in Queensland, died at the scene.

The boy was taken to Taree's Manning Base Hospital with bruising and later released into the care of his grandparents.

Forster police told The Daily Telegraph it was nothing short of a miracle that the young boy walked away from the accident.

However, they said the emotional torment would be a lot for the boy to bear.

"It's pretty nasty stuff for that poor little guy," a police spokesman said.

As the mangled wreckage was hauled away a large hole cut in the roof of the truck's cabin was clearly visible from the road.

Emergency services cut the hole to free they boy, who was trapped inside for more than half an hour.

Mr Crosdale, the TWU's Hunter region spokesman, said there were about 100 truckie deaths on NSW roads each year.

He said they needed to be treated as workplace deaths.

"We're talking almost two deaths a week so obviously road transport is a very dangerous industry," he said.

source: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23028474-5006009,00.html