Road horror

By Emma Sun
The head-on collision killed two pre-school aged children as well as their 26-year-old mother and her 35-year-old partner from Ringwood North, who was driving at the time of the crash.
It is believed the Ford sedan they were travelling in veered onto the wrong side of the road not long before 9pm, colliding with an oncoming four-wheel-drive.
Police said they believed the family was travelling towards Yea, on their way to Benalla where the woman and her children lived.
Inspector David Smith said police from the Major Collision Investigation Unit were still investigating the reason behind the crash, but believed speed was not a factor.
“He doesn’t appear to have been driving in excess of the 100km/h speed limit but inquiries are still pending as to the reason why he lost control,” he said.
“It may be something as simple as the conditions at the time of the collision – light rain, wet and slippery road and a long sweeping right-hand bend and it may have been through a little bit of inattention or a momentary loss of concentration.”
The Melba Highway is notorious for horrific accidents, with many bends and fairly narrow roads.
Insp Smith warned all motorists to be wary on the roads, particularly when driving during bad weather.
“There was a light drizzle on the road (that night) and the road was wrecked from continuous rain during the day so it was very, very slippery,” he said.
“It’s really a matter of being able to moderate your driving to the conditions (as) there’s not a lot of room for error when you do lose control.”
Intensive care paramedic Peter Godwin said advanced life support paramedics arrived to find a horrific scene where both vehicles were significantly damaged.
“The force of the impact shunted the four wheel drive’s engine back almost to the windscreen and the car has extensive damage to the passenger side and rear of the vehicle,” he said.
“Paramedics checked the four people in the car and confirmed that tragically all four had died. It’s just devastating to see so many lives lost in the crash.
“A tragedy like this will affect many people for years to come.”
The driver of the Range Rover, a 45-year-old Armadale man, was the sole occupant and received minor injuries. He was taken to Maroondah Hospital in a stable condition.
Anyone who was driving in the area at the time of the accident or who may have seen the Ford sedan prior to the collision is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au