Man charged after one person dies in crash on The Barton Highway

*Updated*

A 27-year-old man is expected to face court charged with culpable driving  and drug driving offences following a crash on the Barton Highway.

At about 11.30am (15th September 2021) ACT Emergency Services responded to reports of a crash involving two cars and a truck on the Barton Highway just West of the Gungahlin Drive overpass in Kaleen.

A number of people including nurses stopped to render first aid in an attempt to save the persons life, with emergency services taking over a short time later.

Sadly despite the best efforts of emergency services personnel, a 45-year-old man died at the scene.

A 43-year-old man in another vehicle was trapped for a short period of time before being released by firefighters and transported to hospital in a serious condition.

ACT Policing Detective Acting Superintendent Donna Hofmeier said the driver of the truck was unharmed, but had been taken to hospital for mandatory blood and urine testing.

Police will allege the man, drove a tow truck, carrying a 10 tonne excavator, against a red traffic signal at 80km/h before colliding with a Ford Falcon sedan.

Police further allege that the tow truck and sedan travelled for close to 50 meters before coming to a stop, The Toyota Land Cruiser being driven by a 43-year-old man was propelled 60 meters before coming to a stop.

Police have said mandatory blood testing of the tow truck driver following the collision detected a positive presence of cannabis.

The death is the ninth fatality on ACT roads so far this year.