A fatal crash in the NSW Snowy Mountains involving a subcontractor on the Snowy 2.0 project has been described as a "complete tragedy" by locals.
A subcontracted worker driving a B-triple truck carrying pre-cast concrete for the project was travelling on the Snowy Mountains Highway at Dry Plain on Monday afternoon when his truck crashed, rolled and caught fire.
NSW Police say the driver, a man believed to be in his 50s, was trapped and died at the scene.
A crime scene was established and forensically examined, with police continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Snowy Hydro issued a statement, passing on its condolences to the family, friends and workmates of the man involved, before announcing that operations at the Snowy 2.0 site had stopped temporarily.
"This is a tragic event and we are supporting our Snowy 2.0 principal contractor, Future Generation Joint Venture, our teams and all those impacted in the community at this very sad and difficult time," chief executive Dennis Barnes said.
"The welfare of Snowy 2.0 workers are our immediate priority and project operations have temporarily ceased."
The incident has also been commented on by the federal government, which owns the project.
"The government expects the highest standards of safety at Snowy 2.0 and all worksites, and will engage closely with Snowy Hydro Limited and unions in the aftermath of this tragic incident," Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said in a statement.
Future Generation Joint Venture confirmed it owned the truck and counselling would be provided to employees.
"To honour the memory of our co-worker, all Snowy 2.0 project sites have temporarily ceased operations and work will not resume until night shift on Tuesday, April 25," a spokesperson said.
"Arrangements have been made for our workforce to access confidential counselling and support from dedicated clinicians through our employee assistance program."
A busy road
For local Adaminaby resident Col Sinclair, the recent fatality is a shock to the community, but also a reflection of how busy the road has become.
"It's just a complete tragedy," he said.
"There are a lot more vehicles and truck movements on the highway since the project started."
The incident comes just days after a crash on the same highway near Adaminaby.
Mr Sinclair, who has lived in the area for nearly three decades, said the use of the road had changed significantly over the years and safety should remain a priority.
"The Snowy Mountains Highway is a narrow road, and there is a lot of caravan users and camping trailers apart from the big segment trucks," he said.
"This highway isn't as quiet as it used to be, and it's quite busy compared to what it was like three to four years ago.
"Hopefully we don't have any more tragedies on our road."
