55-year-old man dies in highway crash near Hobart — ABC News Australia

In Australia, a 55-year-old man died after two pickup trucks collided on the East Derwent Highway near Hobart. The other driver, a 28-year-old man, is in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

As ABC News reports, the crash occurred at about 4:20 a.m. on Friday in the Otago Bay area in southern Tasmania. Police said the 55-year-old driver was on his way to work. Emergency services were alerted to the collision by a driver passing the crash site.

Drivers were freed from the vehicles

Acting police inspector Rob Bessell said rescuers had to free both drivers from their vehicles. They were taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital, where the older man later died.

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There were no passengers in either vehicle. Police preliminarily believe that a white Hilux was travelling south on the highway, while a silver Rodeo was travelling north. The causes of the collision are being established.

Traffic was closed for five hours

The East Derwent Highway was closed for five hours so crash investigators could examine the scene and collect evidence. Traffic was later restored.

This crash was the fourth fatal incident on the East Derwent Highway since the start of the year. Earlier this month, a woman died in a crash near Old Beach, while two more deaths occurred there in June. The total number of road deaths in Tasmania this year has reached 26. Police are asking witnesses to the crash or drivers with dashcam footage to contact law enforcement.