BILL Johnson never expected to be involved in a crash.

The closest the Eaglehawk truck driver of 25 years had come to an accident was attending crash scenes during his volunteer work with the CFA.

So when a car was suddenly coming straight at his truck on the Midland Highway in Goornong on Sunday afternoon, it was unknown territory.

“I just remember the car on the wrong side of the road, I entered survival mode,” Mr Johnson said.

“I tried my hardest not to hit her, and not to kill myself as well. I didn’t really feel much until I’d stopped, it was just keep away from the trees. That was my fight.”

In the space of a few seconds, he had avoided a head-on collision, driven his 58-tonne load into the embankment, and then continued between trees and bushes for 900 metres before coming to a stop when the truck struck a tree.

The roof of his cabin fell down and sliced open his head, requiring 13 staples and two stitches.

A branch trapped Mr Johnson inside the truck, before a passer-by removed it and he was free.

“I panicked because I couldn’t get the door open. There was a branch stopping me from getting out,” he said.

“Somebody stopped and moved the branch for me.”

Blood had covered his clothing and he was in a lot pain, but remained conscious. He was taken to Bendigo hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, the black Kia Rio which struck the side of his truck had come to rest on the side of the road. It sustained extensive damage to its driver’s-side, and the driver – a 38-year-old Bendigo woman – was taken to hospital in Melbourne with leg and pelvis injuries.

Both drivers had avoided serious injury. Police at the scene said Mr Johnson had done “a really good job” to prevent a tragic crash. The view was echoed by Bendigo Advertiser readers on Sunday.

Mr Johnson said the enormity of the crash hit home when he waited in hospital for his partner to visit.

“It hit me then how lucky I was,” Mr Johnson said.

It was just 20 minutes into a trip from Bendigo to Sydney – a journey Mr Johnson had made on an almost weekly basis for 10 years.

He said nothing could have properly prepared him for the split second decision he needed to make.

“You cant really give advice when something like that happens,” he said.

“Its not something you expect to happen.

“When you’re doing 100 kilometres per hour and all of a sudden, within seconds, I didn’t think I hit the brakes, apparently I did, I just had seconds to react.

“It’s just luck of the draw I think.”