A small South Australian town is in mourning after a beloved local man was killed in a devastating multi-vehicle crash involving a truck and two cars on a rural road northeast of Adelaide.
Darren Pollard, 59, from Sedan, died at the scene of the collision on Ridley Road in Cambrai about 1.15pm on Sunday, 18 May. The crash, involving a Toyota SUV, a Holden SUV, and a truck, also left two other men injured.
The truck driver, a 33-year-old man from Salisbury Plain, and the 69-year-old driver of the Holden SUV from Meadows, were both airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Following investigations by Major Crash officers, the truck driver was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing harm by dangerous driving. He has been granted bail to appear in Berri Magistrates Court on 11 August and has lost his licence pending further orders.
Pollard’s wife, Jacqui-Lee, shared her heartbreak in a tribute on social media, describing her husband as “the light of my life” and “a beautiful, gentle soul.”
“He was just out doing a quick run to the shops and never made it home,” she wrote. “Darren spent his life helping others and always protecting those that were important to him. I don’t know how I’m supposed to go on without him.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family as they make funeral arrangements. The crash marks the 31st life lost on South Australian roads so far this year.
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