General News
27 February, 2023
Police investigate fatal crash at Rathscar
A 53-year-old man sadly died in a single-vehicle crash at Rathscar over the weekend. Police and emergency services were called to the Maryborough-St Arnaud Road at around 12.15 pm on Sunday following reports a twin cab utility had left the road and...
A 53-year-old man sadly died in a single-vehicle crash at Rathscar over the weekend.
Police and emergency services were called to the Maryborough-St Arnaud Road at around 12.15 pm on Sunday following reports a twin cab utility had left the road and crashed into a tree.
Police confirmed the driver, a man from the Grampians region, died at the scene.
Ballarat Highway Patrol attended the incident and Sergeant Nathan Monteduro said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
“It appears the car veered off the road, there were no other vehicles involved,” he said.
As of the latest Transport Accident Commission data released on February 26, there had been 59 lives lost on Victorian roads in 2023 — an increase of nearly 30 percent compared to this time last year.
Thirty-six of those deaths occurred in rural areas, up 20 percent compared to 2022.
Sgt Monteduro urged road users to think twice when getting behind the wheel.
“Lives lost are up from last year, that’s no secret. We try to do our best to deter that. It’s sad to come across and not something we want to see,” he said.
“We always encourage members of the public to think twice when they get behind the wheel — look at your speed, rest if you feel like you’re fatigued.
“We come across fatal crashes so often, and so often it looks like they could be avoided.”
Police will investigate Sunday’s crash and prepare a report for the coroner.