Police say Canberra has had an "horrific 48 hours" on the roads after a 55-year-old man died in hospital after a single-vehicle crash on Dookie Street in Farrer.
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The Thursday morning crash came less than 24 hours after a 31-year-old man died in a crash on Erindale Drive near the Taverner Street roundabout between Wanniassa and Monash on Wednesday afternoon. That was the seventh death on ACT roads this year.
In the latest incident, police said they were called to the scene about 6.40am after a blue ute crashed into a tree. Ambulance intensive care paramedics were first on the scene, but were unable to revive the man. He was taken to hospital, where he later died.
Acting officer in charge of Traffic Operations, acting station Sergeant Susan Smith said police were investigating whether the man, who was the only person in the vehicle, died as a result of an unrelated medical condition.
"We're unsure at this stage if the death of this driver was caused by injuries from the [crash] or if there is a underlying medical condition," she said.
Sergeant Smith asked people to drive carefully in the wet weather.
"It has been a horrific 48 hours on our roads," she said.
"This is really difficult for all people involved including emergency services. Nobody likes to see deaths or injuries on our roads.
"It is extremely wet out there. It is very slippery. You need to slow down and keep a distance between cars."
The crash blocked east-bound traffic heading towards Yamba Drive from Dookie Street and Hawkesbury Crescent for about three hours on Thursday morning.
ACT Policing advise drivers to take care on the roads, slow down and turn their lights on in the wet weather.
Further north two cars collided on Paul Coe Crescent in Ngunnawal just after 12.30pm.
The crash has closed the Mirrabei Drive and Shoalhaven Avenue intersection with both cars blocking the road as of 1pm, police said.
Later on Thursday morning, emergency services workers used hydraulic rescue tools to free a woman from a car after two cars collided about 9.30am at Kambah.
The crash happened on Athllon Drive, just north of the Sulwood Drive intersection.
ACT Fire & Rescue removed a door to free the female driver from the vehicle.
ACT Ambulance Service intensive care paramedics treated the 56-year-old woman for minor injuries and took her to the Canberra Hospital.
The wet weather earlier led to Angle Crossing in Tuggeranong and Oaks Estate Crossing being closed.
There were a number of other incidents on the roads during the morning rush.
On Barry Drive in Turner, a pedestrian getting off a bus was hit by a cyclist near the intersection with Boldrewood Street.
Around the same time, two cars crashed on Mouat Street in Lyneham, blocking the road.
About an hour later there was another crash on the corner of Northbourne Avenue and Morphett Street in Dickson.
Police said there had been 43 crashes in the territory since rain started falling on Monday.
ACT Policing's Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Team has urged any witnesses to the Farrer crash to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via act.crimestoppers.com.au
With staff writers.
