Day of road tragedy touches South Gippsland

IT WAS a disastrous day on Victorian roads on Tuesday, February 15, continuing a bad first month and a half for fatalities with 42 deaths so far in 2022, up 61 per cent on the same period last year.

And regretfully, a 19-year-old South Gippsland man was one of those who died on the state’s roads when he was involved in a collision with a stockfeed truck on the South Gippsland Highway, just west of the turnoff into Bena.

The fatal accident happened at about 6.30am on Tuesday morning, February 15.

The Major Collision Investigation Unit (MCIU) detectives spent most of the day investigating the scene which was also visited by WorkSafe Victoria and Vicroads. The car and truck were travelling along the South Gippsland Highway when they collided and caught fire shortly before 6.30am.

The driver of the vehicle, the sole occupant,  19-year-old man from Foster, died at the scene.

The truck driver was airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Flames from the collision spread to nearby grassland and were extinguished by CFA members.

MCIU detectives will determine the cause of the collision.

The South Gippsland Highway was closed for much of the day while investigators examined the crash scene and a large grain spill was cleaned up.

Vehicles moving up and down the South Gippsland Highway were required to take a lengthy detour around the scene while police did their work and the overturned truck was salvaged.

Any witnesses with information or anyone with dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

Another fatality involving police

In another fatal collision elsewhere in the state, one man died, and two police officers were seriously injured in a two-vehicle collision at Strathmerton at about 12 noon.

It is understood a van and a police vehicle collided on the Murray Valley Highway with the driver and sole occupant of the van dying at the scene.

A male first constable was airlifted to Melbourne with serious injuries and a male detective sergeant was transported by road to hospital.

There was also another fatality added to the road toll on the day after a 78-year-old Ringwood East woman, who was seriously injured in a freak accident on January 4, sadly died.

It is understood the woman had been partly inside a 2016 Kia Cerato, in a driveway, when it reversed for an unknown reason, causing her to fall and become stuck under a car door as the vehicle reversed onto the road.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.