By Kath Gannaway
Police are warning motorists to be aware of sun-glare following a crash on the Maroondah Highway in Healesville at around 8.45am this morning – Friday, 25 May. 18
A Holden Commodore driven by a Croydon man crashed into a tractor turning right from the highway in what Healesville Police Sergeant Stewart Thomson said had the potential to be a double fatality.
The crash happened just out of the 100 zone, in the 80 zone on a rise before the Healesville-KooWeeRup Road turn-off, with both vehicles travelling towards Healesville.
Sgt Thomson said the tractor which was registered for road use had indicators and beacons on when it started to turn was hit from behind with the impact lifting the back wheels of the tractor off the ground.
He said car driver approaching was confronted with the sun glare as he came over the rise.
“Basically he just didn’t see the tractor at all and crashed straight into the back of it without braking.”
The driver and his 30-year-old female passenger were taken to Maroondah hospital with minor injuries for observation.
The tractor driver was uninjured, but shaken by the incident.
Sgt Thomson said local SES and CFA units attended with one person trapped for a short while in the car, and traffic held up for a considerable time while the vehicles were released.
“It was quite an intricate job with the tines (forklift-type prongs) which were wedged into the engine block having to be detached from the ripper,” he said.
Sgt Thomson urged people to be aware of sun-glare at this time of year and generally of conditions which affect driving and visibility, as well as the fact that the Yarra Valley is an agricultural region and there will be machinery on the road which by its nature can be slow-moving.
