A tragic accident in New South Wales’ central-west region claimed one life on Thursday morning when a truck struck a disused railway bridge, causing the structure to collapse.

Emergency services rushed to Inch Street in Lithgow at around 8:55 a.m., following reports that a cherry picker truck had collided with the overpass, bringing it down onto the vehicle.

According to NSW Police, the 38-year-old male driver managed to escape the wreckage with minor injuries, while his 34-year-old passenger was tragically killed after being trapped in the crushed cabin. Despite rapid efforts by Fire and Rescue NSW teams using heavy machinery to lift debris, the man could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver was treated by paramedics for shock and minor injuries before being transported to Lithgow Hospital for further assessment. Police confirmed he would undergo mandatory drug and alcohol testing, a standard procedure in fatal crash investigations.

Witnesses described hearing a “loud metallic crash” followed by clouds of dust as the bridge gave way. Local authorities later confirmed the overpass was an old rail bridge no longer in use, but investigations will determine whether safety assessments or structural weaknesses contributed to the collapse.

Traffic around Inch Street and the surrounding area has been diverted as emergency crews and engineers assess the stability of the remaining structure. The NSW Police Crash Investigation Unit remains at the scene, and SafeWork NSW has been notified due to the industrial nature of the vehicle involved.

A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said engineers are conducting a full inspection to ensure the surrounding infrastructure poses no further risk to the public. “We are working closely with emergency services to clear the area safely and to determine the cause of this tragic incident,” the spokesperson said.

Police have urged witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers as investigations continue.

The victim’s identity has not yet been released, pending notification of his family. (ILKHA)