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Man to face court over stolen truck carnage

The semi-trailer was allegedly stolen from a service station.

The semi-trailer was allegedly stolen from a service station. Photo: ABC

A 29-year-old man has been charged with stealing a semi-trailer and causing “absolute carnage” in the NSW Hunter town of Singleton.

The rig crashed and burst into flames on George Street on Wednesday morning after taking out five cars and damaging buildings including the Royal Hotel and an antique store.

Four people were taken to hospital with one man in a critical condition.

A 67-year-old man suffered head and chest injuries and was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. He was in a critical but stable condition on Wednesday night.

A 62-year-old woman with pelvic and hip injuries and a 64-year-old man with neck, chest and back pain are both in a stable condition.

Singleton Mayor Sue Moore said the town “looks like a war zone”.

“I can sympathise with the people that are actually involved with the situation,” she said.

“I was looking at the live feed on the Facebook site and I thought, ‘this can’t be real’.”

Singleton crash

Damage can be seen on the street in Singleton where the truck crashed. Photo: ABC

The semi-trailer was allegedly stolen by from a service station at Murrurundi – more than 100 kilometres away – at about 7.30am when the driver was paying for fuel.

Police initiated a pursuit and deployed road spikes as the truck approached Singleton.

The semi continued for a few kilometres after hitting the spikes before colliding with the cars and buildings about 8.45am.

The driver was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital with minor injuries and underwent mandatory tests.

He faces eight charges and has been refused bail to front Singleton Local Court on Thursday.

Singleton truck crash

The truck was destroyed in the explosion. Photo: ABCA Fire and Rescue structural engineering team has been sent from Newcastle to assess the Royal Hotel building.

Gabrielle Brown, who saw the crash and subsequent explosions, said it was “pretty scary”.

“I was out here on the footpath just watching it and there were two more explosions after the initial explosion,” she said

Ms Brown said she saw the driver try to flee, prompting several officers to draw their guns.

Police said the driver was arrested at the scene and is currently assisting with inquiries.

The critical incident team from Port Stephens Local Area Command is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident including the deployment of road spikes.

That investigation will be subject to an independent review.

Separate truck crash incident

In a separate incident Wednesday, the Hume Highway was closed after a frozenfood truck crashed, bursting into flames on the Wingecarribee Bridge at Berrima in the NSW Southern Highlands.

The B-double truck crashed into a safety barrier and was hanging over the side of the bridge when it ignited shortly before 8:30am.

Footage of the crash shows black smoke and flames billowing out of the wreckage as it dangled from the roadway.

Frozen foods truck crash

The prime mover and trailer carrying frozen goods caught fire on the Hume Highway near Berrima. Photo: NSW RFS

The truck driver, a man aged in his 60s, was treated at the scene before being taken to Bowral District Hospital with minor injuries.

Crews from the Rural Fire Service spent the morning trying to extinguish the flames and a small area of scrub that caught alight below the bridge.

The crash closed the Hume Highway in both directions for several hours but southbound lanes recently reopened.

The clean-up and salvage operation is continuing in northbound lanes.

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