A 60-year-old man has been struck and killed by a garbage truck outside his house in San Remo on the NSW Central Coast.
The 53-year-old garbage truck driver is currently in a state of shock, and police say the men had become friends over the years.
"The vehicle operator had been operating that route for many many years," Chief Inspector Rod Peat said.
"The gentleman who has passed away was a very good-hearted gentleman and when a waste management vehicle would come into the street he routinely got out on the street and assisted with bin placement.
"[He would also] regularly engage with the driver to the point where over a number of years they became close friends.
"So unfortunately that just makes the incident so much more difficult for everyone involved. Unfortunately the driver of the truck was significantly traumatised by the incident."
There were no direct witnesses to the incident and police will rely on forensic enquiries and the crash investigation unit who will collect evidence to try and establish what happened.
"Something's gone wrong — we can't at this stage establish what exactly went wrong," Chief Inspector Peat said.
The driver of the truck was taken to hospital for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.
