Local man tried to save Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds after car accident

Australia cricketer Andrew Symonds after he crashed his car in Queensland over the weekend, Australian media reported on Monday. The all-rounder and twice World Cup winner died at 46 following the single-car accident late on Saturday near the northern city of Townsville in Queensland state. Local resident Waylon Townson told the Nine Network that he had heard the crash and was first at the scene.

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Andrew Symonds, who died on Saturday night in a car crash aged 46, was instantly recognisable on the cricket field with a mop of dreadlocks poking out from his baggy green cap and lips gleaming with white zinc cream.

"He was stuck in there, so I tried to pull him out," he told Nine. "(I) started doing CPR and checked his pulse but I didn't get much response from him." Emergency services also tried to revive Symonds, the sole occupant of the car, but he died of his injuries, police said in a statement on Sunday. It was unclear why Symonds's four-wheel drive vehicle veered off the road before rolling down an embankment.

Symonds' death occurred with Australian cricket still coming to terms with the passing of all-time greats Rod Marsh and Shane Warne, who both died in March. A swashbuckling batsman and brilliant fielder, Symonds played 238 internationals, including 26 tests, for Australia between 1998-2009. His death triggered tributes from around the cricketing world, with former players remembering him as a rare talent and a maverick renowned for butting heads with team management over discipline issues.

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