The following article contains testimony and account of an accident that killed two RFS volunteers. Readers are cautioned that this covers events many may find upsetting.
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A coronial inquest has heard of the "instantaneous and unavoidable" accident that claimed the lives of two Rural Fire Service volunteers while battling the Green Wattle Creek bushfire on December 19, 2019.
Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O'Dwyer were both long-standing members of the RFS when an ironbark tree estimated to weigh around three tonnes fell suddenly on top of their Category 1 bushfire truck while travelling towards Balmoral, in NSW's Southern Highlands, to protect properties.
Forty-seven homes and structures were destroyed on the afternoon of December 19 when the Green Wattle Creek fire ripped through Buxton, Bargo and impacted Balmoral.
Eyewitness testimony from RFS members in a different vehicle of the strike team said the 30-metre tall tree fell in an "Instantaneous and unpredictable" way that the Horsley Park one Alpha truck could not avoid.
Leading Senior Constable Brian Wilson of the NSW Police Crash Investigation unit said this was the first true 'accident' he had attended where there was no driver contribution to the crash.
Mr Keaton, a professional truck driver by trade, was behind the wheel of the four-wheel-drive Isuzu carrying five RFS members from the Horsley Park brigade and Senior Constable Wilson said evidence was that Mr Keaton was an experienced and "safe and good driver".
Andrew O'Dwyer had been sitting in the front passenger seat of the truck.
Dash camera footage recovered revealed the truck was travelling south, as part of a convoy, on Wilson Drive at about 70km/h when the tree broke off from its base and fell unavoidably onto the roof and windshield of the vehicle.
The truck careened off the road before hitting an embankment, rolling over 270 degrees and coming to a stop with the driver's side to the ground.
When asked by assisting counsel Mr Casseldon if there was nothing at all that Mr Keaton could have done to avoid the tree, Mr Wilson responded "that is my opinion, yes".
The crash investigation determined Mr Keaton was knocked unconscious or killed by the impact as there were no signs of steering input or an attempt to brake.
"In my opinion it was likely that Geoffrey had no control of the vehicle once the tree hit the truck," Mr Wilson said.
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Senior Constable Jeffrey Head from the NSW Police Engineering Investigation section testified the truck had been in a serviceable condition, but the impact of the tree caused "severe deformation" to the cabin of the truck.
"The front cabin had been severely impact damaged, significant intrusion to the driver's area ... the A-pillars had been severely pushed back," Mr Head said.
Testimony from both strike team leader Adam Hurst and Horsley Park team member Carlos Quinteros showed the team were travelling from Buxton to Balmoral to assist with property protection efforts at around 11.20pm.
Crews had been assigned early in the night by a divisional commander to property protection around Buxton, but by the time they arrived the fire front had passed and a number of properties had been damaged or destroyed by fire.
Mr Hurst, driving an RFS four-wheel-drive utility drove the length of Wilson Drive from Buxton to Balmoral just prior to 11pm on December 19 to seek further tasking and radioed the strike force to meet him in Balmoral.
"The road was clear, early indications was there were power lines or poles down - visibility was 150-200 metres with a slight breeze pulling smoke west from the fire, but decent visibility in front," Mr Hurst said.
"The road was heavily forested on either side ... there was a number of notable trees that were fire impacted and I made caution to the crews later on.
"Before I instructed the crew by radio - to traverse from Buxton to Balmoral - I radioed to be vigilant and cautious with the trees along the area as they had been fire impacted."
Mr Hurst said he heard a "faint call for help" sometime later on his radio and knew something was wrong.
Mr Quinteros said he suffered three fractures in his back, a loss of sensation in his upper right leg and a severe laceration on his ear in the crash, but remembered some details.
He described feeling an immense 'thump' hit the truck before the vehicle continued off the road and bouncing twice before rolling over.
The three volunteers in the back of the cabin were able to extricate themselves from the cab using the passenger door and were conveyed to Liverpool hospital by ambulance.
In his statements, Mr Hurst said he had "full faith" in Mr Keaton's ability behind the wheel and paid tribute to both men as "happy and jovial people".
"Geoffrey was generally a happy and jovial individual and Andrew was a very happy person ... a very switched on gentleman."
Two further witnesses and family statements will be heard on Thursday.