Kalgan crash: Driver frees himself after truck catches fire in serious rollover on South Coast Highway

A witness on the scene of a serious crash near Albany has described the moment a driver climbed from the burning cab of a rolled grain truck on South Coast Highway. The man, who came across the scene shortly after the crash, said the driver climbed out of the cab of the rolled truck, which had caught fire, and was helped to safety by bystanders. It is understood that the truck collided head-on with a van, causing it to leave the road and roll with the trailers rolling and spilling grain across both lanes of the busy highway just north of the Kalgan River Upper Bridge about 20 minutes northeast of Albany. The crash was reported at about 3.30pm on Friday on South Coast Highway near Wheeldon Road in Kalgan with a bushfire advice warning issued for the area shortly after the crash. Six crews from Albany Fire and Rescue Service and two St John WA crews are on the scene with fire crews working to extinguish the fire on the truck and free a person from the car. A St John WA spokeswoman said more than one person required medical assistance, with a male in his 40s to be taken to Albany Health Campus. The Kalgan River Upper Bridge is closed and a detour is in place for people travelling along the South Coast Highway via Chester Pass Road, Chillinup Road, and Kojaneerup Road. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued a bushfire advice warning at 4.10pm for the area south of South Coast Highway bounded by Hunton Road and Riverside Road in Kalgan. There is a lot of smoke in the area and people are advised to stay alert in case the situation changes. Visit Emergency WA, call 13 DFES (13 3337), follow DFES on Facebook, listen to ABC Local Radio, 6PR, or news bulletins.