Anthony Seagrim, a mental health nurse working at Lower North Health, was on his way to pick up a client when he turned left onto the Burra Bypass road and immediately saw an overturned truck.

The single trailer, loaded with wool bales, and the prime mover had rolled onto its side after taking the sweeping bend on the Burra bypass road only a short distance from the Barrier Highway.

Mr Seagrim, together with some other passers-by, smashed the front windscreen of the cab before crawling into the confined space to check the driver’s condition.

“I got in there and jumped over him, took his vital signs, talked to him and kept his neck still, as he seemed to have some spinal injuries,” Mr Seagrim said.

Mr Seagrim said he had entered the cab at about 9.15am and was able to leave once the driver had been stabilised and removed by SA Ambulance officers at about 10.45am.

“It was pretty hot in there.”

While Mr Seagrim was reassuring the driver, a Ridgehaven man in his 50s, Burra CFS, MFS and SES crews arrived on the scene, together with police and ambulance.

SA Ambulance regional team leader Leon Cutting took charge of the retrieval and directed volunteers, who had to cut away part of the vehicle’s cab.

The injured man was lifted gently out of the wreckage and placed on a stretcher before being whisked away to the Burra Hospital for treatment of his injuries, which included a large laceration to his right elbow.

He was then transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for further investigation.

Paul Fromstone and Nicole Christie were also amongst the first at the scene of the accident and made the emergency call.

“We only live across the road and were coming back from Burra with our shopping,” Mr Fromstone said.

Ms Christie drove home to collect blankets and towels, some of which were used to pack the driver’s injuries.