Remarkable escape for three adults and two children in serious Albany Highway crash with truck and caravan

Albany police say it is remarkable that no one was seriously hurt or killed in a major crash involving a car and caravan and a road train on Albany Highway near Narrikup last week. Of the five people involved in the serious crash, including two children, only the male driver of the road train was taken to Albany Health Campus. At about 10.10am on Thursday, a ute towing a caravan overtook a road train with two trailers full of grain heading south between Bails and Jackson roads. Police say as the ute performed the overtaking move, the vehicle and caravan began to sway and collided with the truck. The truck driver tried to avoid the collision and jack-knifed his heavy vehicle, causing the truck and one trailer to roll on their side. Grain was spilt from the rolled trailer and the debris littered the highway, stretching across all three lanes of the busy route. Emergency services arrived at the scene and the truck driver in his 50s was taken to Albany Health Campus with head lacerations. The elderly couple driving the Holden ute and their two grandchildren, aged four and seven, miraculously walked away unharmed. Albany police officer-in-charge Sen. Sgt Hugh Letessier said thankfully all people involved were not seriously hurt. “It is very, very lucky they all got out unscathed,” he said. “It was a fairly major event but fortunately everyone was OK. “Diversions were put in place around the location and there was a fair bit of clean-up work and that meant the highway was restricted for some time.” Albany Highway was closed in both directions for several hours before one lane was reopened just after 5pm. Petrol and grain, among other things, had to be cleared off the highway and the vehicles also removed. The caravan was completely destroyed in the crash but the vehicle towing the caravan was not seriously damaged.