The woman was one of two people hospitalised with injuries following the collision in Melbourne’s north west.

Two men were killed after the vehicle they were in ran off the Calder Highway 10km south of Wedderburn and hit a tree.

Just prior to the crash, a call to Triple 0 was made claiming three vehicles were travelling side-by-side and were attempting to ‘leap-frog’ one another.

A 35-year-old woman and 67-year-old man, who had been travelling in a separate car, were taken to hospital and placed under police guard.

Police set up a crime scene at the site, near Bendigo, and have not ruled out road-rage or speed as a potential factor of the double fatality.

Major Collision Investigation Group detectives are investigating the circumstances of the crash.Police reported that the deceased are from the one vehicle and two people people injured were from another vehicle.

Detective Senior Sergeant Gerard Clanchy said a call was made to triple-0 call with reports of erratic driving moments before the crash.

The witness told police the vehicles had been overtaking in a “leap-frogging” manner before two vehicles collided and crashed.

“Two people have lost their lives through driving that is just unacceptable,’’ he said.

Detectives want to interview the driver of a black utility vehicle seen driving south along the Calder Highway at the same time the the erratic driving was observed.

Police have appealed for any witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers.

Detective Senior Sergeant Clanchy said the occupants knew each other.

“My understanding is that there is some connection to those people but we are still trying to establish what that connection is,” he said.

Marks were left on the road and a blue Ford station wagon, which the deceased men had been travelling in, was severely damaged.

A 51-year-old Wedderburn man, who had been travelling in a third vehicle, has been arrested and is assisting police at Bendigo station.

No charges have been laid in conjunction to the crash.

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