ONE man is dead after the Stockton bridge crash that required firefighters to put out a blaze on two cars.
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Police said a Ford Falcon sedan collided with a Toyota Camry heading southbound before it hit an oncoming utility, which then collided with a BMW sedan that was travelling north.
The utility caught fire and the driver suffered critical burns, police said. The man died at the scene.
While police are yet to formally identify the man, on Wednesday morning they said he is believed to be a 57-year-old man from Tanilba Bay.
The Falcon sedan’s driver, 46, suffered injuries to his arm and was taken to the John Hunter hospital. He will undergo mandatory testing along with the drivers of the other two vehicles.
The driver of the BMW sedan suffered chest and rib injuries and was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment.
The driver of the Camry, a 34-year-old man, was uninjured. Both drivers have been subject to mandatory testing.
Newcastle police established a crime scene and specialist crash investigators will examine the circumstances of the incident, which forced authorities to close Nelson Bay Road near Fullerton Street for several hours.
Motorists were urged to avoid the area or delay their travel while the road remained closed. Police have also appealed for anyone with dashcam vision, or who witnessed the crash, to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Authorities were reversing cars off Stockton bridge by about 5.30pm after they were initially called at about 3.50pm. Fire and Rescue NSW said firefighters extinguished blazes burning two of the vehicles shortly after 4pm.
Earlier, an Ambulance NSW spokesman had said one of the patients paramedics treated at the scene had suffered full-thickness burns to most of his body, including his airways.
Traffic was diverted along Cabbage Tree Road, Tomago Road, the New England Highway and Industrial Drive to avoid the scene.
An Ambulance NSW spokesman said four crews and the helicopter were scrambled to the scene.
A Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service spokesman said the aircraft landed in an oval near the bridge but ultimately did not transport any patients from the scene.
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