crash involving two trucks on Parnassus Rd (SH1)<\/a>, near the McPhersons Stream Bridge in Hurunui,\u00a0about 8.33am on Monday, June 8.<\/p>\nWhen Fire and Emergency NZ\u00a0crews arrived at the scene, one of the trucks was in flames and a person was trapped inside.<\/p>\n
Williams was removed from the vehicle while crews extinguished the fire. He was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital in a critical condition.<\/p>\n
At the time. police said “sadly, despite best efforts” he died in hospital.<\/p>\n
Vowles Transport, which has a depot in Rolleston,\u00a0shared some memories of Williams in a\u00a0social media.<\/p>\n
“He wasn\u2019t just a colleague \u2013 he was a friend, a mentor to many, and a larger-than-life personality whose infectious laugh, cheeky banter and huge smile brightened every day.<\/p>\n
“The stories and memories have been flowing amongst us all as we remember the incredible man he was and the impact he had on everyone lucky enough to know him.<\/p>\n
“As we navigate this unimaginable loss, we encourage everyone to look after one another, check in on your mates, and never be afraid to reach out if you need support.<\/p>\n
“We will get through this together, just as James would have wanted.<\/p>\n
“To James\u2019 family and loved ones, our thoughts, love and deepest condolences are with you.<\/p>\n
“Thank you for sharing such a special person with us. He will be deeply missed but never forgotten.<\/p>\n
“Fly high, James. You were one of a kind, a true character, and a much-loved member of the VTL family.<\/p>\n
“Your legacy will live on in the stories we tell, the laughs we share, and the memories we will cherish forever.”<\/p>\n
An obituary for Williams said he was “known for his dedication, reliability, and strong work ethic”.<\/p>\n
“Over the years, he earned the respect of colleagues across the transport industry, steadily building his reputation as a committed and skilled professional.<\/p>\n
“He was remembered as a man who \u201cshowed heart, passion, and potential,\u201d someone who took pride in his work and valued the camaraderie of the trucking community he loved.<\/p>\n
“Known fondly as \u201cJimmy,\u201d he was described by peers as loyal, hardworking, and kind-hearted.<\/p>\n
“His presence brought positivity to those around him, and his loss has left a deep void in both his workplace and the wider transport network.<\/p>\n
“He is lovingly remembered by his family, friends, and fellow drivers across New Zealand, all of whom are united in grief and remembrance.”<\/p>\n
-Allied Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The death of a Canterbury truck driver after a crash on State Highway 1 earlier this week has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473817,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-473816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/473817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}