Hume Highway crash in Victoria: Four people killed near Chiltern
Hume Highway crash in Victoria: Four people killed near Chiltern
- Truck and car crashed at Chiltern about 10.30am Thursday
- Four passengers in the car died at the scene
Four people have been killed in a horror crash on the Hume Highway in north-east Victoria.
A B-double truck and a car collided at the junction of Wenkes Rd in Chiltern, 36km south-west of Albury near the NSW border, just before 10:30 am on Thursday.
The Subaru Forester is believed to have turned left without seeing the truck. All four people who were in the SUV sedan died at the scene.
The 30-year-old male truck driver, who was just one hour into a 12-hour road trip, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
He was cleared by mandatory roadside testing of having drugs or alcohol in his system.
Firefighters and police hold up a black sheet as they wait for Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives to arrive at the scene
Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are on the way to the scene, with the cause of the crash yet to be determined.
Wodonga Acting Senior Sergeant Joel Hughes said the truck was heading north on the Hume Highway and the car was attempting to turn left from Wenkes Road onto the freeway when the vehicles collided.
‘It’s terrible — unfortunately in regional Victoria this year we’ve seen a number of lives lost on our roads and this is another tragic incident,’ he said.
‘We are still investigating the cause of this collision, but we just want all road users to be safe on our roads.’
Acting Senior Sergeant Hughes said police were yet to formally identify those killed and notify their relatives.
North bound traffic on the Hume Highway is closed from Springhurst Road.
Ron Finemore Transport managing director Mark Parry has confirmed the truck belonged to the company and they were assisting with the investigation.
‘It is a very sad day. Our thoughts are with the people who were in the vehicle and their extended family, as well as the first responders,’ Mr Parry said.
Wodonga Acting Senior Sergeant Joel Hughes said early indications suggest the car was attempting to turn left from Wenkes Road onto the highway (pictured, the intersection where the crash occurred)
Emergency services are pictured at the scene of the crash at Chiltern on Thursday
Mr Parry said the driver had undertaken mandatory alcohol and drug testing, and early indications suggest weather and visibility were not factors in the crash.
The crash would have been recorded on dashcam as would the speed the truck was travelling.
‘From what we’ve seen … the truck was not speeding, the driver had just come off a 12-hour break,’ he said.
‘Early indications are the driver was doing everything right, but we won’t know until we see the vision. We will have vision from the truck eventually and we are assisting police.’
Chiltern, a small historic town three hours north of Melbourne, is home to around 1580 people.
The town was built in the 1850s during the gold-rush era, but now counts agriculture, flour and cereal manufacturing among its main industries.
The crash is the latest in a string of mass fatality accidents on Victorian roads over the past four months.
Police and emergency services are pictured at the scene, with detectives working to determine the cause of the crash
In April, four people and a dog were killed when two cars and a B-double truck collided in Strathmerton – just 115km west of Chiltern.[2]
Police will allege Melbourne man Christopher Joannidis was speeding when he crashed into a Nissan Navara, pushing the vehicle into the path of a truck.
All occupants of the Nissan – Cobram woman Debbie Markey, her dog, and three international workers she was hosting at her home – all died at the scene.
The following month, a mother and three teenagers were killed[3] when the red Toyota Corolla they were travelling in veered off the road at Bochara, 320km west of Melbourne, and hit a tree.
The victims were later identified as Alicia Montebello, 31, year 10 student Joshua Elmes, Lucus Garzoli and 14-year-old Meghan Fox.
Ron Finemore Transport managing director Mark Parryn (pictured) has offered his condolences to the family
Addressing the media after the Strathmerton crash, Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said there had been a significant rise in multiple fatality crashes in Victoria this year compared to 2022.
In an emotional plea, he called on drivers to take care on roads to save lives.
‘When the all the tape is taken down, all the cars are towed away, and everything is cleaned up and everyone will move on, it is quite easy for the crash to be something that happened the other week, the other month, or last year,’ he said.
‘But we can’t let it stop at that. It is time for people to wake up.
‘I don’t know what more we can do to try and appeal to people to take care.’
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage, or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
References
- ^ Tita Smith For Daily Mail Australia (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ two cars and a B-double truck collided in Strathmerton (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ mother and three teenagers were killed (www.dailymail.co.uk)