00:02A deadly month on Victoria's roads has claimed three more lives.
00:07It's a sad and it's a tragic event.
00:08It was a scene of utter devastation on the Western Highway.
00:12Police say this ute, being driven by a 17-year-old Lerner driver,
00:17crossed onto the wrong side of the Western Highway near Stahl
00:20just before 7pm last night.
00:23It hit the side of a truck, then crashed into this car,
00:27killing two of its occupants.
00:28A 14-year-old girl travelling in the ute was flown to hospital
00:32in a critical condition but died from her injuries this morning.
00:36Three others from the ute, including the driver, survived with minor injuries.
00:41It's the holiday period. It's getting late in the afternoon.
00:45Traffic was really busy. People are heading home.
00:47The ABC has been told this stretch of highway
00:50was extremely busy over the grand final weekend.
00:54But police say they were busy too,
00:56running a road safety blitz around the state
00:59with extra patrols and breath tests
01:01involving more than 20 officers here in the Leadcourt area.
01:06Last night, they were combing through the wreckage,
01:09beginning to piece together what happened.
01:11At this stage, we don't know why the collision has occurred.
01:15But what we will be investigating is
01:17whether fatigue or distraction,
01:20whether speed's involved.
01:21Three lives ended, three others changed forever.
01:25It's the latest in a string of fatal crashes
01:28on Victorian roads in September,
01:30with 31 separate accidents that have killed 36 people,
01:35taking the state's road toll to 191.
01:39The Western Highway reopened today,
01:42but police say their grand final weekend road blitz
01:45will continue until midnight tonight.
01:48Investigators are appealing for witnesses
01:50or those with dash cam footage to come forward,
01:53and they're urging everyone to drive safely
01:55in the final week of the school holidays.
Comments