Horrifying vision has revealed the catastrophic damage to Tony Modra’s truck as the AFL legend fights for his life in an Adelaide hospital following a single-vehicle crash on a rural South Australian road.

The 57-year-old former Crows and Fremantle superstar collided with a tree at about 5.15pm on Thursday on Range Road, Back Valley, about 10 kilometres west of Victor Harbor.

He was driving in wet and windy conditions.

Footage from Channel Nine shows the cabin was destroyed, the windscreen smashed, much of the damage concentrated on the driver’s side, and a side wing mirror mangled.

Modra was airlifted to Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide.

Daily Mail can reveal a friend of Modra’s said he was ‘in a bad way, but hoping he will be OK’.

However Modra’s close friend, controversial former AFL player and agent Ricky Nixon, provided a more hopeful update on Friday morning.

‘Just spoken to someone connected [to Modra] and he has improved a bit… I’m in total shock,’ Nixon wrote on his public Facebook. 

‘Doctors [are] hopeful he’s going to pull through. Mods we all love you, and our thoughts and prayers are all with you, mate. Hang in there.’

Tony Modra, 57, was airlifted to an Adelaide hospital following a catastrophic truck crash

Footage from Channel Nine shows the shocking extent of damage to the truck

The truck’s side wing mirror was mangled. It’s understood there were no cattle on board 

Ricky Nixon, right, pictured with Modra and fellow AFL great Wayne Carey 

Modra, who remains active with the Adelaide Crows football club and often appears at events and on game days, runs the farm with his wife of 18 years, Erica.

hey share two children, Hayley and Luke. 

It is understood Modra — nicknamed ‘Godra’ due to his mighty goal-kicking and marking prowess — was returning to his cattle farm in Waitpinga when the crash occurred.

Sources say there was no livestock on board, with Modra having dropped them off earlier that day.

Modra won Mark of the Year three times, kicked Goal of the Year in 1995, and was awarded life membership of the Crows in 2008.

He played 165 AFL games, 118 of them with the Crows and 47 with the Dockers.

He heartbreakingly tore his ACL in the 1997 finals series, missing the Crows’ maiden premiership, and was controversially dropped by coach Malcolm Blight before their back-to-back 1998 Grand Final win. He retired in 2001.

In a city where fan battle lines are firmly drawn between the Adelaide Crows and their cross-town rivals Port Adelaide, Modra is a rare player who is universally revered by supporters of both clubs.

Modra’s longtime nickname is ‘Godra’ after his 1997 Coleman Medal-winning goal scoring feat

Modra remains an active member of the South Australian football community 

Police shared an image of the truck, which appears to be pierced on the driver-side windshield

Channel Seven AFL reporter Ryan Daniels shared the news at three-quarter time during the high-profile clash between Fremantle and Geelong on Thursday night.

‘Those with knowledge of the incident say there is hope he will pull through but his condition tonight is very serious,’ he said.

Channel 7 commentator Brian Taylor added: ‘That is not the news we wanted to hear.’

‘It’s going to be extremely difficult for us now as a commentary team to get excited about what we’re about to see here, because that is just tragic news and we hope things get better from here on in,’ he said.

Port Adelaide premiership player Kane Cornes said Modra was his ‘hero’ as he shared his devastation.

‘He has been [my hero] since I was 10 years of age. He’s a fighter,’ he said.

South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas said his thoughts were with Modra and his family.

‘Mods is an SA icon who has never forgotten where he came from,’ he said.

AFL premiership player Kane Cornes described Modra as his childhood hero

South Australia Police released a statement shortly after the crash.

‘Down to earth and just a really good bloke.

‘Tony and his family are in our thoughts tonight, and we all hope he’ll be ok.’

‘A truck driver has been seriously injured after a crash at Back Valley,’ police said.

‘About 5.15pm on Thursday 18 June, police and emergency services responded to reports of that a truck had crashed into a tree on Range Road, Back Valley, about 10 kilometres west of Victor Harbor.’