Car explodes on Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed on Monday morning following a multi-car crash where one vehicle burst into flames.
Emergency services were called to the iconic bridge just after 7am after three cars collided, with one flipping and catching fire.
Images and footage from the crash show the fireball rising up from the flipped car in the citybound lane, with witnesses saying it rose up to three metres into the air.
Those on the scene who helped the drivers out of the cars have been praised as “heroes”, including a nearby Traffic Management Centre worker who helped drag a van with a trapped man inside away from the fire after he heard the crash and raced to the scene.
Two of the drivers - a man and a woman - were treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The van driver was trapped in his vehicle for some time before he was freed by emergency services.
He was later taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Dashcam footage of the crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge this morning. Just horrific. No one is critically injured - what a miracle. @10NewsFirstSyd #breaking pic.twitter.com/zRgMXofUjQ
— Charlotte Goodlet (@cgoodlet) March 6, 2022
Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the flames, with the organisation’s superintendent, Matt Sigmund, confirming the driver had made it out of the vehicle before the fire started.
He also said the man was incredibly lucky to escape.
“Crews on arrival reported thick black smoke coming from one of the vehicles and we had heard reports of persons still in the vehicle,” Mr Sigmund told Sunrise.
“The driver that was trapped in the van is really lucky to have escaped at this stage.
“The traffic commander from that depot actually drove up at the time of call, the van was located next to the car that was involved on fire, he hooked that van up and dragged it away from the car that was on fire.”
Image: 9News
NSW Ambulance Inspector Giles Buchanan praised the bystanders and emergency service workers who rescued the drivers.
“A number of bystanders and other emergency service workers who risked their lives to assist these patients are absolute heroes, we can’t thank them enough,” he said.
“One of the vehicles was well alight when we arrived on the scene, it was an extraordinary effort to get the patient out of the vehicle safely.”
Crash investigators have remained at the scene, while motorists have been urged to avoid travelling towards the city and delay trips.
“Those travelling towards the city should allow plenty of extra travel time and consider using the Sydney Harbour Tunnel or Anzac Bridge as an alternative,” Live Traffic Sydney said.
EDITOR'S UPDATE
Police allege that the Toyota Kluger’s owner was changing a tyre on the corner of Sussex and Goulburn streets in Sydney’s CBD when a man approached and started a conversation about the car.
“There was a short scuffle which ensued and then the man got into the Kluger and drove it away headed towards the Harbour Bridge,” Sydney City Police Area commander Detective Superintendent Rohan Cramsie told 2GB radio.
“We’d certainly ask anybody who has witnessed the (alleged) stealing of that Kluger to come forward.”
Image: 9News