There’s also the $1000 of milk cartons that burst in the truck.

The stolen blue Mitsubishi Magna, being driven west on Wantigong Street, Albury sped through a give-way sign and hit the KW&S Coon truck, being driven south on Mate Street just before 4am.

The force of the crash lifted the eight-tonne truck on to two wheels, twisting its cabin, squashing its fuel tank and bending and cracking the chassis. Fuel leaked from the truck.

Two men fled the extensively damaged Magna.

KW&S Coon director Linda Coon said she hated to think what would have happened if the driver’s cabin had taken the full impact of the crash at such speed.

“The driver did an excellent job in a bad situation,” she said.

Ms Coon said the driver, who was later treated for a minor head wound, had said he had seen the car spinning moments after the crash.

“I’m surprised they walked away,” she said.

“They must have had some injury, thrown around like that.”

Ms Coon said there had been only one other serious crash in the company’s 30 years, and that had been the driver’s fault.

“We’ve never had something like this happen,” she said.

Ms Coon said catching the culprits would do nothing to make it easier for the company.

Operations manager Anthony Odewahn said the truck appeared to be a write-off and a replacement would cost tens of thousands of dollars.

“These guys roared out of the side street and T-boned him,” he said.

“He saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, then bang.

“The truck went on two wheels when they hit him.”

Mr Odewahn said the company’s operations had been disrupted, with another driver having to be called in on his day off.

Albury Police Acting-Sgt Geoff Smith said the Magna had been stolen from North Albury sometime in the 5½ hours before the crash.

“If not for the actions of the truck driver, there could have been a serious accident,” he said.

He said the driver of the stolen car had put the public and other drivers at risk.

Firefighters cleaned up the spilt fuel and ensured there was no fire threat.