POLICE have praised the actions of motorists who stopped to perform CPR on a 76-year-old truck driver who died as a result of a single-vehicle accident on the Northern Distributor near the Icely Road intersection yesterday morning.

The man, from the Sydney suburb of Kingswood, was driving west along the Northern Distributor when his semi-trailer veered off the side of the road into a paddock where it travelled for around 150 metres before stopping in a shallow dam.

The motorists performed CPR on the driver, who was still in the truck’s cabin, until paramedics arrived and took over, however the man was pronounced dead a short time later.

Canobolas Local Area Command duty officer Dave Harvey said police were grateful the motorists stopped.

“We want to thank the motorists that took action to render first aid to the driver,” inspector Harvey said.

Inspector Harvey said no cause of death had been determined, although initial investigations suggested the driver may have had a heart attack at the wheel.

Roadblocks were put in place for most of the afternoon with council staff redirecting traffic.

Inspector Harvey said police had started an investigation into the incident and a forensic team had visited the site along with detectives.

“There are no suspicious circumstances,” inspector Harvey said.

Workcover and Roads and Maritime Services have been informed of the incident.

tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au