HOLIDAY HORROR

30 January 2010

RYAN REYNOLDS

A FORTY-THREE year-old man is in a serious but stable condition and a 37-year-old female is in a stable condition in intensive care after a horror crash that killed two people near Caramut on Thursday morning.

Two others were also injured in the crash that left debris strewn over the road.

The Singaporean tourist’s silver Toyota Tarago rolled at about 10.30am as it travelled north on Glenthompson-Caramut Rd.

Mortlake Police said the 43-year-old driver of the car was airlifted from Mortlake to The Alfred after it was initially reported he was to be airlifted from Warrnambool.

A 37-year-old female with chest, head and leg injuries was flown to Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Another passenger with ear lacerations and his five-year-old daughter with head lacerations were transported to Warrnambool hospital.

Police believe the Singaporean tourists were travelling from the Great Ocean Rd to the Grampians.

Mortlake police Sergeant Kevin Garrett said initial indications showed the driver had lost control of the four-wheel drive after attempting to over-correct.

“The driver has then lost control of the car and it has rolled,” he said.

“It was a classic over-correction.

“Other drivers do the same thing. You go off into the gravel and if you panic and do a big over-correction, you get yourself into trouble big time.”

Sgt Garrett confirmed that the two dead passengers had been wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.

Melbourne Major Collision Investigation Unit attended on the afternoon and is still investigating the cause of the roll over.

Sgt Garrett said he was not sure why the tourists were using a back road.

“I am not sure why they were guided there, maybe it was by a GPS that they ended up on this road,” he said.

“I have been to a couple of accidents on these types of roads and I am not sure why. They might have looked on the map and thought that is the shortest way through.

“In my 16 years I have not seen a major incident on this road.”

Singapore Consulate officials are working with the crash victims.

Anyone with information on the accident is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppers.com.au.