Brave driver praised for moving his burning truck from motorway
A driver has been praised by police for his bravery after his truck caught fire on Sydney’s M1.
Somehow he managed to haul the burning rig to the side of the busy motorway and away from traffic, before jumping to safety.
Traffic in both directions was brought to a standstill and three lanes cut to one as fire crews worked to bring things under control.
“We arrived to heavy traffic, smoke and flames,” Mark Richardson from Fire and Rescue NSW said of the scene he was called to.
“The truck was well alight.”
Behind the wheel was truckie Leo Strangleman.
“I heard a bang, I thought I blew a tyre – big amount of smoke behind me – so I pulled off, rang the boss,” Mr Strangleman said.
“It caught fire and up she went.”
His actions in doing so were not only brave but commendable, authorities said.
“He did his best to get to a point of refuge,” NSW Police Chief Inspector Rod Peat said.
“He’s done well to get it off the road and not injure himself or any other motorists.”
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The blaze was so intense that it jumped from the truck and set nearby bush on fire, creating a huge plume of smoke.
“It could’ve been a lot worse with the busy, if it was a hot, windy day,” Mr Richardson said.
By midday Monday the M1 had returned to normal, but Mr Strangleman’s truck is written off and the contents inside were destroyed.
But the brave truckie was looking on the bright side.
“Mate, I’m fine,” he said.
“I lost my lunch – that’s about it.”
