- Truck driver found dead in cab at highway rest stop
- He had delivered chemicals to a gold mine hours earlier.
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Police detectives and WorkSafe are investigating how a Perth truck driver mysteriously died in the cab of his vehicle while parked at an Outback rest stop.
The truck driver had delivered a shipment of chemicals to the Thunderbox mine near Leinster, 10 hours northwest of Perth on August 14 and cleaned his truck while there.
He was last heard from at 8pm the following day and was found at a truck stop on the Great Northern Highway near Pithara, two hours north of Perth, at around 10am on 16 August.
The truck driver had been exposed to chemicals, including a diluted amount of cyanide, due to a broken hose while cleaning his truck, but was reportedly wearing protective gear. Western Australia.
Cyanide is used in the mining industry to dissolve and extract gold from low-grade ores, but the chemical is also extremely toxic to humans.
He suffered minor burns and was assessed by medical personnel at the mine site before being allowed to leave.
The man’s body was found by police after his employer, chemical manufacturer Coogee, was unable to contact him by phone and asked them to carry out a welfare check by following his truck’s GPS.
A relative of the man said he hoped the incident would not be “covered up” because his “family deserves better.”
A truck driver died after delivering a load of chemicals at the Thunderbox mine in Washington (pictured)
The mine (pictured) is located in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.
Police said they are investigating the matter, but it is not a criminal investigation.
“The death is being treated as non-suspicious and the forensic investigations team is preparing a report for the coroner,” a police spokeswoman said.
“This is not being treated as a criminal matter.”
WorkSafe said they were also involved and were awaiting advice from the coroner.
Cyanide is used to dissolve and extract gold from low-grade ores (pictured: ore being processed at the Thunderbox Mine)
“WorkSafe has been notified of this incident and has launched an investigation into the circumstances with the aim of ensuring compliance and preventing future incidents of a similar nature,” a spokesperson said.
Both Coogee and Northern Star Resources, which manages the mine site, said the driver received “immediate medical attention” and expressed their sympathy for his family.
“The incident was reported by the affected persons themselves and the mine provided medical attention, and the driver was subsequently declared fit for work,” a Coogee spokesman said.