INVESTIGATORS are trying to piece together when a crash occurred that claimed the life of a 23-year-old man near Tamworth.
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A passerby discovered the wreckage of the Mitsubishi Triton off the Halls Creek Rd at Bendemeer on Thursday morning.
Ambulance rescue paramedics and police were alerted and rushed to the scene, but the body of the driver was discovered inside the white dual cab ute, off the roadway.
“The driver and sole occupant, a 23-year-old man, was deceased at the scene,” Leading Senior Constable Ron Stoltenberg told The Leader.
It’s understood the 23-year-old man was not local but was staying on a property at Bendemeer.
Now investigators are trying to determine when the crash occurred.
“Police believe the vehicle was travelling west along Halls Creek Rd sometime after 9.30pm on Wednesday,” Senior Constable Stoltenberg said.
“Police were alerted shortly after 6am on Thursday to a vehicle that had left the road.”
Police set up a crime scene which was combed by forensic experts on Thursday morning.
Investigators believe the utility attempted to negotiate a right-hand bend but lost control and left the road.
“The vehicle left the roadway and collided heavily with two trees,” Senior Constable Stoltenberg said.
“It appears the vehicle then continued after the impact through a boundary fence and down a slope into a paddock.
“Investigations into the cause of the crash are continuing and police will prepare a brief for the coroner.”
Police said the vehicle would undergo a mechanical examination as officers examine what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.
The crash is the first fatal of 2017 in the New England North West.
And, already NSW has seen 10 lives lost on roads since the start of the year, before the Bendemeer crash occurred. The number is two more than the same time last year.
“Police urge all motorists to take care on the roads, drive to the conditions, don’t speed, don’t drink or drug drive, wear a seatbelt and take regular breaks to ensure they get to their destination safely,” Highway Patrol Sergeant Michael Buko said.
Police urge all motorists to take care on the roads, drive to the conditions, don’t speed, don’t drink or drug drive, wear a seatbelt and take regular breaks to ensure they get to their destination safely.
- Highway Patrol Sergeant Michael Buko said
Last year, nine people were killed on roads in the Oxley Command, while in Barwon, four people died in 2016.
In New England, 11 people lost their lives on the roads.