A 36-year-old worker has died in hospital after being struck and dragged underneath a utility vehicle while inspecting underground fuel tanks at a Coffs Harbour service station last week.
The man succumbed to his catastrophic injuries on Tuesday following days in intensive care, ABC News NSW reported. Emergency responders were initially summoned to the Mid North Coast forecourt after the contractor became trapped beneath the chassis of a dual-cab ute during a routine morning inspection.
Critical injuries sustained on the forecourt
Paramedics arrived to find the contractor suffering multiple traumatic injuries across his torso and limbs. Specialised rescue personnel were required to stabilise the vehicle before extricating the worker, who had been dipping underground tanks to verify fuel reserves when the impact occurred.
Following on-site resuscitation efforts, the man was rushed in a critical condition to Coffs Harbour Health Campus before being placed in an induced coma. Despite subsequent surgical interventions and prolonged intensive treatment, medical staff were unable to save him.
Police and workplace safety investigations underway
Officers attached to Mid North Coast Police District established a crime scene across the service station forecourt, cordoning off the fuel bowsers and underground access caps for several hours. The driver of the ute was spoken to by police at the scene and underwent mandatory drug and alcohol testing, in accordance with standard procedure following serious road trauma.
Investigators from the Crash Investigation Unit are examining whether speed, line-of-sight obstructions, or driver distraction contributed to the fatality. CCTV footage captured by the service station's overhead surveillance network has been seized as part of the formal inquiry.
Concurrently, SafeWork NSW confirmed it had launched an independent workplace safety investigation into the circumstances of the fatal incident. Regulators are assessing whether adequate safety controls—such as physical bollards, temporary barriers, or spotters—were implemented to protect personnel working directly in the path of vehicular traffic.
Scrutiny over forecourt contractor hazards
The tragedy has renewed attention on the occupational risks confronting service station personnel and external maintenance contractors across regional New South Wales. While automated tank-gauging systems are increasingly common across modern metropolitan service centres, many regional facilities still rely on physical dip testing, which requires workers to kneel or stand directly over ground hatches exposed to moving traffic.
Industry workplace guidelines mandate clear exclusion zones around open manholes and dip points, requiring motorists to yield to ground crew operating with reflective PPE and visible signage. SafeWork NSW regularly warns operators of the acute dangers posed by blind spots in high-clearance four-wheel drives and commercial utes, which constitute a significant proportion of traffic on regional coastal corridors.
Report prepared for the NSW Coroner
Police confirmed that a brief is being prepared for the information of the NSW State Coroner. Formal identification has not yet been publicly released, pending ongoing family notifications.
Authorities have urged any witnesses who were refuelling or passing the Pacific Highway corridor near the service station at the time of the collision, or who possess relevant dashcam footage, to contact Crime Stoppers.