UPDATE, 12.42PM: VicRoads has advised that the Doveton and Mair intersection has been opened again and is being managed by traffic control.
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The traffic signal box for the intersection was destroyed in the crash, with a replacement box being brought up from Melbourne.
The intersection is likely to be functional again by the end of the day.
Crews are still working on the scene.
UPDATE, 11.50AM: The male driver of a mini-van that crashed into a traffic light pole in central Ballarat has died.
Senior Constable Alistair Parsons said the man suffered a medical condition before striking the pole at the intersection of Doveton and Mair streets.
“It is believed the driver was travelling in a mini-bus along Mair Street when he suffered a medical condition and drove through the intersection of Doveton Street into a traffic management box and light pole,” Senior Constable Parsons said.
The accident occurred at around 9.15am and paramedics were attending to passengers of the van. The man, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene.
Ambulance Victoria has confirmed two other passengers have been taken to Ballarat Base Hospital in a stable condition with minor injuries.
Roads remain blocked.
Earlier reports from Ambulance Victoria had suggested there were only minor injuries. The man’s death will not be added to the official road toll at this stage.
EARLIER: A minivan carrying a number of elderly passengers has struck a pole in a serious crash in the Ballarat CBD.
The vehicle hit the traffic light pole at the corner of Doveton and Mair Streets just after 9am, on the Civic Hall corner.
Four people are being treated for minor injuries, according to an Ambulance Victoria spokesperson.
The van suffered serious front end damage after also hitting traffic signal boxes.
All emergency services are on scene and police have blocked off Mair Street between Doveton and Armstrong streets.
A number of witnesses are also on scene, watching the operation.
The traffic lights at the intersection are not working.
Highway patrol leading senior constable Wayne Jones urged motorists to avoid the area.
He said police were still working to determine the cause of the single vehicle crash.