Police said the crash happened about 5am on Friday, March 24, on Picton Road, about five kilometres east of the Hume Highway, near Wilton.

It was dark and the road was wet when the two trucks – a car carrier and a semi trailer – collided head-on, with the car carrier rolling over and catching fire, police said.

Mr Ryan was thrown from his vehicle and died at the scene.

The body of the second driver – Michael ‘Mick’ Gorman, 39, of Sydney – was found some hours later in the burnt-out cabin of the car carrier.

Mr Ryan was travelling with his kelpie dog, Baz. Baz survived the crash and is being cared for by a veterinarian.

Both men were fathers of young children.

Crash investigators were on site on Friday and Picton Road was closed between Almond Street and Macarthur Drive until about 4pm that day. Fire and Rescue NSW crews fought the blaze as it spread from the cabin of the car carrier to three of the cars it was transporting.

Inspector Michael Bright of the NSW Police told the Sydney Morning Herald that initial responders “were faced with a horrific scene”. 

Inspector Bright said Picton Road was “notorious” as a blackspot for frequent and serious vehicular accidents. 

Just recently, a fortnight ago, two trucks collided about one kilometre south of Friday’s crash site; on March 7, two cars had a head-on crash, in which a mother and her young son died; and in February, a man died in a crash close to Friday’s scene.

Mr Ryan’s family has saved his Facebook page as a memorial. Friends are welcome to share their memories via facebook.com/ado.ryan.39