Pacific Highway Coffs Harbour: Critical incident as 19yo fights for life after high-speed police pursuit

A major highway is closed and a critical incident scene has been declared after a serious crash between a car and a truck during a high-speed police pursuit.

The crash occurred near Coffs Harbour early on Thursday and has left part of the Pacific Highway closed.

At about 7.45am, police were patrolling the Pacific Highway at Tucabia – about 15km east of Grafton – when they attempted to stop a vehicle due to its speed.

When the vehicle failed to stop as directed, a pursuit was initiated, however, was soon terminated due to the manner of driving.

A second pursuit was initiated a short time later, before the car conducted a u-turn at Dirty Creek into the path of an oncoming truck, resulting in the collision.

The driver of the vehicle, a 19-year-old man, was treated at the scene by police and NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital in a critical condition.

The driver of the truck, a 50-year-old man, was not injured and was taken to Grafton Hospital for mandatory testing.

A crime scene has been established and the scene will be forensically examined by the crash investigation unit.

A critical incident team from Mid North Coast police district will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

As inquiries continue, anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The Pacific Highway at Dirty Creek is expected to remain closed northbound for some time with diversions in place and further delays expected.