A truck driver who was concentrating more on opening a drink than the road is lucky to be alive after a crash on the Hume Freeway at Springhurst.
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The truck, carrying two trailers of scrap metal, was heading southbound at 9.30pm Monday night when the 33-year-old Wodonga man lost control.
It veered over to the right and rolled over onto the driver’s side on the median strip.
Senior Constable Shane Hughes of Wangaratta Highway Patrol said the driver was lucky no other cars were involved.
“He lost sight of where he was going and ended up in the dirt,” he said.
“There were no serious injuries to the driver, just scratches and bruising.”
The Wodonga man man had just left Baranduda and prepared for his night shift properly with a nine-hour rest.
But he was fumbling around to get a drink out of an esky and open the lid.
The drink spilled all over him as the truck crashed.
“It’s a timely reminder to pay attention to the road… Driver distraction is a big killer,” Senior Constable Hughes said.
“It was a real mess.
“He was really lucky to be alive.”
One southbound lane of the freeway was closed and the speed limit reduced to 40km/h on Tuesday morning as cranes and tow trucks removed the truck at about 8.30am.
