General News
11 August, 2022
Fatal crash “heartbreaking” for community, police say
A man has been killed and another airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries following a “heartbreaking’ head-on collision just outside of Talbot on Thursday morning. Emergency services were called to the scene near the intersection of...
A man has been killed and another airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries following a “heartbreaking"head-on collision just outside of Talbot on Thursday morning.
Emergency services were called to the scene near the intersection of the Ballarat-Maryborough Road and Pollocks Road before 9 am yesterday morning, where a white van and Ford Ranger utility had collided.
Police say a 65-year-old Avoca man died at the scene while their passenger, a 31-year-old Mary-borough man, was taken to a Ballarat hospital with minor injuries.
The driver of the Ford Ranger, a 72-year-old Footscray man, was airlifted to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne with life-threatening injuries.
It’s believed one vehicle was heading towards Maryborough and the other towards Talbot when they collided, however the exact circum-stances are yet to be determined, with Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives attending the scene yesterday.
Central Goldfields Highway Patrol Sergeant Brad Hall described the collision as “heartbreaking” and said it would impact the community.
“This is a road I travel every day, I drove through Talbot the morning of the collision and later I was looking at the spot where someone had been killed, someone who was just minding their own business like I was when I drove through,” he said.
“It’s the old saying — local people die on local roads and it’s tough for everyone, this will affect the community and also first responders — this sort of thing is heart-breaking.
“In particular it’s hard for volunteers, the people who turn up with the CFA or SES to give their own time to these incidents, especially when they know the person or people involved, that’s just awful.
“This is a timely reminder for everyone that we all need to drive to the conditions and be aware of our surroundings.”
The fatality brings the total number of lives lost on Victoria’s roads this year to 150. Eighty-four of those occurred in rural parts of the state compared to the 69 lives lost in rural areas this time last year.
It also marks the first fatal collision in the Central Goldfields Shire in two years, with the last being an 87-year-old man who died in hospital following a collision in November 2020, also on the Ballarat-Maryborough Road, only kilometres away from yesterday’s incident.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
