Just before 10.30 pm last night, police and emergency services were called to Zerk Road at Shea Oak Log after reports a car had crashed into a tree.

The driver and sole occupant, a 27-year-old man from Leasingham, died at the scene which Major Crash officers attended and examined the area overnight.

The road was closed for several hours but has since reopened.

It’s the 12th life lost on South Australian roads this year compared to just four at the same time last year.

It comes after a serious crash on the Port Wakefield Highway yesterday afternoon.

Just after 2pm on Thursday, emergency services were called to Port Wakefield Highway near Brooks Road after reports of a collision between a car and a truck.

The driver of the vehicle, a 79-year-old woman from the ACT, was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.

Her passenger, an 80-year-old woman from Victoria, was taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries.

The truck driver was uninjured and was taken to a local hospital for routine blood tests.

Major Crash is investigating the circumstances of the accident and anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage  is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

Earlier this week a 25-year-old woman died after a crash on Port Wakefield Highway.

Police and emergency services were called to the highway just after 11 am on Tuesday 31 January after reports of a single-car crash.

The driver and sole occupant, a 25-year-old Port Wakefield woman, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital where she died on Wednesday.

More people died on South Australian roads in January than in any month last year according to SA Police, while the number of injuries was also far higher than the 2022 monthly average.