Couple escape crash death

By Alison Noonan
A MAN was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after a truck and a car collided at the notorious intersection of TooradinBaxter Road and South Gippsland Highway on Tuesday.
Police said the female driver of the Holden Camira sedan and her male passenger, both from Frankston, were lucky to be alive.
Sergeant Pat McGavigan of Casey Traffic Management Unit said the sand tipper and trailer was travelling north along the South Gippsland Highway when the incident occurred about 1.30pm.
He said the truck drove straight over the top, crushing the back of the Camira and rolling about 40 metres before coming to rest in the median strip.
The driver of the truck was taken by ambulance to the Dandenong Hospital with serious injuries.
The driver of the Camira was taken by ambulance to the Frankston Hospital while her passenger was airlifted to The Alfred hospital where he remains in a serious condition.
Sgt McGavigan said the driver of the car had been intercepted by police about half an hour before the collision for driving an unregistered vehicle and was ordered not to drive the car.
He said the woman would be charged with failing to give way, failing to obey the direction from a member of police and driving an unregistered vehicle.
Sgt McGavigan said the intersection was a known danger spot, notorious for several fatalities and regular casual crashes and urged drivers to take extra care.
“VicRoads has plans to redevelop the intersection but drivers need to stop, look carefully and give way before pulling out on to the highway.
“Be aware that it is a dangerous intersection and take care when coming out.
“The driver of the truck did a brilliant job to avoid hitting the front of the car,” he said.
“This could quite easily have been a double fatality.”
A VicRoads spokesman said the construction of a roundabout at the intersection was due to begin at the end of the year.