A truck has crashed into a bridge, causing it to collapse and killing a passenger inside the vehicle in the New South Wales central-west.
Emergency services were called to Inch Street, Lithgow at 8:55am on Thursday after a cherry picker vehicle hit a disused rail overpass bridge.
The 38-year-old male driver managed to free himself, but a 34-year-old man in the passenger seat was trapped and was found dead.
The driver was treated for minor injuries at the scene before being taken to Lithgow Hospital.
Emergency services at the scene of a bridge collapse in Lithgow where a Sydney Trains employee was killed. (ABC News: Victoria Pengilley)
New South Wales Police Superintendent John Walke said it was a “dangerous scene” for first responders.
“The scene presented some complexities for responding emergency services … It took some time to get to the passenger,” he said.
“Following that he was accessed at the scene and found to be deceased.
“We have commenced a recovery operation and the operation is still ongoing due to the complexities of the bridge.”
Road closed
Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said both men were locals and were working for the organisation.
“They were on duty … no doubt inspecting the rail corridor given the location of the accident,” he said.
Mr Longland said the road was expected to remain closed for some time as attempts were made to remove the truck.
Crews work to lift a bridge that collapsed in Lithgow. (ABC News: Victoria Pengilley)
“We have got heavy machinery on site at the moment, so we will be doing everything we can to minimise inconvenience for locals that need access to the area,” he said.
Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said the incident had “deeply shaken shaken the entire rail workforce and the broader transport community”.
He said SafeWork NSW was at the scene and would investigate the incident.
In a post on social media, the Lithgow City Council said it did not have an indication of when access to the road would be restored.