Man slept in mango orchard after his truck was hit by a train as he chased snakes to photograph

A motorist in Australia's Northern Territory, who fell asleep at the wheel of his pick-up truck, ran a red light and was T-boned by a road train carrying 100,000 litres of fuel had been out “chasing snakes” for photographs in a national park.

Timothy Michael Cook said he woke up in a mango orchard after a “good knock to the head” in the crash, which happened when he shot through the Arnhem Highway lights at the Stuart Highway about 1am on August 22. He said he wasn’t drunk at the time of the crash and went off to sleep after it happened, stating he believed he was concussed.



“I’m sorry for wasting valuable police time while I was sleeping in the orchard,” he told Darwin Magistrates Court. He told police he had worked until 9.30pm the previous night, then went looking for snakes to photograph for a mate who runs Reptile Australia magazine. Police on foot and in cars scoured scrub and properties bordering the roads when they realised he had left the scene.

They were concerned for his “health and well-being” after seeing the state of his Ford Falcon ute. The road train had been travelling at 100kmh and struck the truck with its bull bar. Magistrate Michael Carey said: “You’re very lucky to be sitting here in front of me.” Cook handed himself into Palmerston police station later that morning and was charged with running a red light, driving without due care and leaving a crash scene. He was convicted and fined $1,250.