Man charged following fatal accident on Barton Highway

A 45-year-old man died at the scene of a three-vehicle collision at the intersection of the northbound exit from Gungahlin Drive on September 15. A 42-year-old man was also taken to the Canberra Hospital with serious injuries.

The man from Karabar in NSW is alleged to have driven a tow truck, carrying a 10 tonne excavator, through a red light at 80 kilometres per hour, before colliding with a Ford Falcon sedan being driven by the 45 year old.

The tow truck and Ford Falcon sedan travelled for close to 50 metres before coming to a stop. The Toyota Land Cruiser being driven by the 43 year old was propelled 60 metres before coming to a stop, police say.

According to police, mandatory blood testing of the tow truck driver following the collision detected a positive presence of cannabis.

ACT Road Policing Detective Inspector Donna Hofmeier said this collision has had far-reaching impacts.

"While it is now up to the courts to decide what happens next, what we have here are the results of a driver running a red light," Detective Inspector Hofmeier said.

"Any death on our roads is a tragedy. This death was completely avoidable and has left family and friends of the deceased grieving.

"The driver of the other car struck in the collision, who required hospital treatment for extensive injuries, has had his life dramatically changed as well."

READ MORE:

The 27-year-old man is scheduled to appear in court on November 19. He will face three charges - culpable driving causing death, culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm and driving with a prescribed drug.

Anyone who witnessed the collision, or who has information about the collision, and who has not yet spoken with police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Please quote reference 6904853. Information can be provided anonymously.

Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: