Daily London
Extraordinary CCTV vision from inside the Burnley Tunnel shows the fuel tanker seemingly unaware of a Mitsubishi Pajero in its path as it indicated and moved into the left outbound lane about 9.15pm.
Sparks and debris flew as the Pajero became squashed between the truck and the wall of the tunnel.
Both vehicles came to a grinding halt after the fuel tanker slammed on the brakes.
Emergency services were on scene within minutes. Amazingly no one was physically hurt.
Traffic was brought to a standstill as heavy machinery was brought in to separate the two vehicles and remove them from the tunnel.
Toll road operator Transurban says it monitors the tunnel around the clock and had its crews on scene within four minutes.
While crash rates in tunnels are relatively low, research shows drivers often “respond differently in enclosed environments”, Transurban said.
“That’s why we’re encouraging motorists to avoid unnecessary lane changes in tunnels and high-speed areas,” a spokesperson said.
“It’s a simple behaviour that can make a real difference in preventing serious incidents.”
The driver of the truck received a penalty infringement notice for performing an unsafe lane change.
