62yo escapes serious injury after truck and ute crash
A CHARTERS Towers man was airlifted to hospital yesterday after a ute and truck crash.
RACQ CQ Rescue said the 62-year-old man was lucky to escape serious injury after driving his ute along the Gregory Development Road, headed towards Charters Towers, when the heavy rigid truck travelling in front of him turned off into the roadhouse causing the ute to slam into the back of the struck.
His Ford Falcon slammed into the left-hand side of the truck, crumpling the front end of the vehicle.
The driver of the truck was uninjured in the accident.
RACQ CQ Rescue was tasked just after 9.30am and flew more than 320km to the site of the accident at the Belyando Crossing Roadhouse, near Llanarth, in the Charters Towers region.
With a doctor, Critical Care Paramedic and rescue crewman on board, they arrived at the scene at 10.50am landing on the bitumen adjacent to the roadhouse.
The injured man was assisted and treated by Belyando Roadhouse locals and then paramedics at the scene.
He was suffering back and chest pain and the helicopter medical crew made the decision to transfer him to Mackay Base Hospital for further observation.
Within half an hour of the helicopter arriving on scene, the patient was loaded into the helicopter and it took off bound for Mackay after refuelling at Moranbah Airport.
The man arrived at Mackay Base Hospital in a stable condition at 1.30pm.
