By Jed Lanyon
A woman in her sixties was transported to Maroondah Hospital with minor upper body and ankle injuries following a car collision on the Warburton Highway in Seville East at 9am Wednesday 12 June.
Yarra Ranges Highway Patrol said an SUV collided with another vehicle sending it across the other side of the highway, off the road and into a tree.
They believe the incident was caused when a truck was attempting to turn into a roadside property, causing traffic behind it to bank up.
Highway Patrol said that it was fortunate that the truck had been turning and had prevented the flow of oncoming traffic from colliding with the car that had been pushed across the lane.
And that the harsh rain and wind conditions experienced on the day did not play a factor in this incident.
A member of the Seville East Traffic Safety Group and witness to the incident posted to social media stating that an SUV ran into the back of a smaller white car that was trying to merge, pushing it over the edge of the road and into a tree.
She alleged that the SUV failed to give way to the other car, while heading towards Seville.
The Seville East Traffic Safety Group is made up of concerned community members who live near the stretch of road along the Warburton Highway in Seville East that has seen a number of car collisions recently.
Members of the group are advocating for the highway to be upgraded to have designated turning lanes at Douthie, Sunnyside and Stuart Roads, as well as an island protected turning lane at Peters Road, as recently reported by the Mail.
A 54-year-old Woori Yallock man lost his life in a three car collision on 4 April, and then on 15 April, a man fled the scene of a two car collision at the same area in question.
One member of the group and Seville East resident Joel Supple said there had been 24 reported incidents between Woori Yallock and Douthie Road since 2014.
Five of those incidents have occurred from January this year.
The group’s petition has gathered over 1200 signatures to date. To learn more about their cause, visit the Seville East Traffic Safety Group Facebook page.
If you have any further information regarding the incident, contact Lilydale Police on 9739 2300.
