Following a terrible collision on Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge that left the driver hospitalized and the front seat passenger battling for her life, three men have been detained for being in a vehicle with fake license plates.
On Tuesday at 10.35am on the West Gate Bridge in Spotswood, witnesses claimed to have seen a silver Ford Falcon XR6 being driven “like a crazy” before it slammed into a St. Vincent’s charity truck.
Four lanes of the bridge connecting the city’s western suburbs and airport to the rest of the city had to be closed as a result of the vehicle rolling onto its side.
It’s known that the incident caused one individual to be ejected from their car.
The sedan’s male driver, who is 21 years old, was brought to the hospital and is currently in a stable condition. Additionally, a man passenger was injured critically and rushed to the hospital.
Three further male passengers in the automobile, all in their 20s, were detained on the spot.
Due to the Ford Falcon’s fake registration plates, police believe it was stolen.
The two guys in the truck were unharmed, and the trio has since been freed pending more investigations.
Just after 2.30 p.m. local time, VicTraffic reported that the West Gate Freeway’s four lanes have reopened following an authority clearance.
‘It may take some time for delays to ease on nearby roads including Queens Road, Kings Way, Wurundjeri Way, Footscray Road, Dynon Road, Geelong Road and roads through Carlton and Parkville. Thanks again for your patience as emergency services conducted investigations,’ VicTraffic said.
- The male driver and passenger of a silver Ford Falcon both rushed to hospital in a critical condition. The driver is now stable
- Three other men who were in the car that was seen speeding shortly before the crash are being treated at the scene by paramedics
- The car smashed into a St Vincent’s truck – but the driver and passenger were not injured
- Police arrested three men, aged in their 20s and passengers in the car at the scene but they have since been released. Traffic chaos throughout Melbourne after the crash
‘There’s a number of individuals lying there being attended to by the public, because the ambulance and the police just can’t get through because the roads are entirely blocked,’ one witness earlier told Radio 3AW.
Another driver travelling outbound said he saw a silver Ford speed past him ‘like a bullet’.
He was driving like a mad man,’ the driver said.
‘I thought to myself he won’t make it to the other side of the bridge.’
Footage from the scene shows witnesses hugging each other as various emergency service vehicles line the bridge.
One woman who arrived at the scene just moments after the crash told Daily Mail Australia she saw paramedics working on one injured person on the ground.
‘There were about fifty cars with police, ambulance and firefighters,’ she said.
The sedan’s number plates looked to be stolen, according to a search of Victoria’s vehicle database, which revealed the plates were associated with a blue BMW whose registration had expired in 2014.
Drivers were advised to stay away from the area and take Geelong Road, not the West Gate Freeway, to reach the M80 Ring Road intersection.
Before 2:30 pm on Tuesday, the outbound lanes between Montague St. and Williamstown Rd. were closed.
The details of the incident are still being determined, according to police, who are investigating the accident.
Anyone who observed the crash, has information, or has dashcam video is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-333-TIPS.
