Early morning drive ends with one man dead, another critical

An early morning crash south of Sydney has killed a young man and left another fighting for life in hospital.

Residents said they rushed to the scene of a horrific crash after a Nissan Skyline crashed into a parked truck on Sunday morning in Helensburgh along a strip notorious for hoons.

Witness Brendon Pace said he heard a loud bang in the middle of the night.

“We came outside to see a car with flames coming out of it,” he said.

“So the neighbours got a garden hose and put the fire out and called the ambulance.”

The car’s passenger Reuben Martin was killed in the crash while the driver, 25-year-old Lachlan Scipione, remains in a critical condition at St George Hospital.

Police believe speed was a factor behind the crash because the car managed to push a parked two and a half tonne truck at least 10m up the hill.

It’s believed the car may have been travelling more than 100km/h in a 50 zone.

Mr Pace said it’s not uncommon for people to speed up and down the street.

"It's a 50km/h street but because it's straight and goes up the hill out of town, you'll often hear people speeding up the road,” he said.

“We also don't have much in the way of police in Helensburgh.”