By Jeremy Sollars
Freestone Road north of Warwick at the Palmer Bridge is open to traffic following a serious heavy vehicle accident near the bridge this afternoon.
Two gravel trucks, one of them towing a dog trailer, collided at around 3.40pm today, Tuesday 5 February, on the northern approach to the bridge.
The driver of the truck not towing the trailer is understood to have serious leg injuries and rescue crews worked for around two hours to free him from the cabin of his vehicle.
A State Government Rescue 500 helicopter is on the scene and is waiting to fly the injured driver to hospital.
The driver of the other truck was uninjured but badly shaken and remains on the scene.
Initial reports from residents in the vicinity suggest the dog trailer may have swung around as that truck approached the bridge and collided with the other truck which had just come over the bridge, but investigations will continue.
The Southern Downs Regional Council this week issued a tender for the construction of a new two-lane bridge at the location on Freestone Creek.
Work is likely to start in the next few months with the new bridge to be constructed just to the east of the existing Palmer Bridge, which the council has said will remain open during the construction, which is part-funded by the Federal Government and due to be completed by 30 June 2020.
