The Upper Mountains was the scene of two major truck accidents last week, including a fiery crash at Mt Boyce that closed the Great Western Highway.
A semi-trailer loaded with up to 30 tonnes of cotton bales burst into flames about 1.45am on Thursday, June 5 as it was being driven east on the Great Western Highway at Mt Boyce.
The truck struck a concrete barrier on the median strip and burst into flames. The 26-year-old male driver managed to leap free from the cabin before the truck ignited.
Emergency services were called to the scene and the driver was treated for a possible fractured ankle and chest pain. He was taken to Nepean Hospital by ambulance paramedics in a stable condition.
The highway was closed in both directions while NSW Fire and Rescue crews extinguished the blaze and used machinery to clear the burnt cotton bales.
Traffic was banked up 9km as motorists used the Bells Line of Road, before the Great Western Highway reopened just after 10.30am.
About 1am on June 6 a semi-trailer driver lost control around a bend in the wet at Victoria Pass, causing the vehicle to land on its side next to a concrete median barrier, blocking a westbound lane.
The male driver was taken to Katoomba Hospital in a stable condition.
Later that morning a car crashed into the concrete median barrier and landed on its roof near the scene of the earlier truck crash.
There were also reports of minor accidents on June 5 and 6 on the highway between Hartley and Lithgow, and at Lapstone hill.