Thousands of motorists on their commute to work and school drop-off were diverted into service lanes bordering the Goulburn Valley Hwy near Riverside Plaza on Friday morning, after debris from a horrific crash the night before littered the highway.
The impact of the crash knocked a power pole to the ground near the Shell Reddy Express service station.
The white, single-cab ute came to rest on its roof further south on the median strip.
The motor, ejected from the engine bay, lay a further 20m south, in the middle of the southbound lanes.
Nearby resident John Grieve was one of the first on scene at the crash, which he said occurred at around 11pm on Thursday, July 3.
“It shook the whole house,” Mr Grieve said.
He ventured outside with a torch to find a confronting scene that had been plunged into darkness by the impact on the power pole.
He said he believed a group of people had been in the southbound vehicle, reporting that two had been thrown several metres from the wreckage, while another was trapped in the cab.
Uprooted and twisted road signs, leaf litter from three young, crushed trees and mangled car parts were strewn across all four lanes of the highway.
Commuters using the highway on Friday morning were diverted into the service lanes.
The highway was still blocked at 11am.