Haryana youth killed in Australia truck crash; tailor father had sold cattle shed to send him abroad

KARNAL: A 24-year-old from Karnal who went to Australia on a study visa and ended up driving trucks to get by was killed on Friday when his truck collided with another on the Hume Highway in New South Wales.

Tushar Kamboj of Byana village died on the spot. He had told his family he would be home in January 2027. Talks for his marriage had begun, and a new house was being built for the family.

His father, Rakesh Kumar, is a tailor. To raise about ₹15 lakh for his son’s visa and travel, he sold the family’s land and cattle shed and took a loan on top of it.

According to Rakesh, the crash took place around 9 am Australian time on October 30, near the town of Gunning. Tushar was at the wheel when his truck hit another truck. The family got the news around 5 am Indian time the same day.

The blow is harder because Tushar had spoken to the family only a day earlier. On the phone call on Thursday, October 29, they talked about the house coming up in the village.

Tushar studied till Class 12. He left for Australia on January 1, 2022, and began driving trucks there alongside his studies. His father had hoped that the son’s hard work would pull the family out of its money troubles.

Friends of Tushar in Australia are now handling the legal paperwork to send his body home. The family expects it to reach Byana in about 10 days. Rakesh has appealed to the government to help bring his son’s body back quickly.

Tushar is survived by his parents, a younger brother, his grandmother and his uncle. At the house that was getting ready for a homecoming and a wedding, relatives are now waiting for his coffin.

The Gunning stretch of the Hume Highway has seen fatal heavy-vehicle crashes before. In July, a truck driver died after two heavy vehicles collided and caught fire on the Hume Highway near Gunning.