A fatal crash between a car and a truck has claimed four people’s lives on the Hume Freeway in north-east Victoria.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir confirmed the tragic news on Friday, revealing that the couples were on their way to Melbourne to visit family when the accident occurred.
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The 30-year-old truck driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Commissioner Weir, there is no evidence to suggest that the car’s driver was behaving erratically before the collision.
Investigations indicate that the victims had made a stop in Chiltern for a coffee break during their journey, while the truck driver was heading northbound on the Hume Freeway when the collision transpired.
Ron Finemore Transport managing director Mark Parry told ABC that the company would help with the investigation.
“Our thoughts are with the people who were in the vehicle and their extended family, as well as the first responders,” he said.
Mr Parry said the driver had taken mandatory alcohol testing and would go through drug tests as well.
Tragically, this intersection has seen a history of accidents over the past decade, with 10 collisions recorded in the past 10 years.
Some of these incidents were attributed to motorists failing to yield to oncoming traffic when entering the freeway.
Authorities reviewed dashcam footage from the truck and interviewed other witnesses.
Mr Weir said the truck driver provided data from the vehicle’s dashcam recordings and claimed that he was well-rested.
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