The policeman investigating the cause of a horror crash in Kingston north of Ballarat has implored drivers to take care for the rest of the holiday.
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Speaking metres from the scene of the crash, which killed two members of a Bendigo family including a five-year-old boy, Detective Sergeant Paul Lineham sent out a powerful message to drivers.
"There is no rhyme or reason to why this has happened," he told The Courier, saying the double fatality his team was investigating was "needless"
Everyone on the passenger side just didn't stand a chance. We just implore people to slow down and pay attention to other road users.
- Detective Sergeant Paul Lineham
Detective Sergeant Lineham is heading up the Major Collision Investigation Unit probe into the causes of the collision, which took place shortly after midday on Sunday.
He said that a Kenworth Prime Mover truck did not stop at a give way sign on Church Parade and collided with a Toyota Rav4 going into Kingston.
A 37-year old woman and a five-year-old boy, who were travelling on board the Rav4, died at the scene.
They were both travelling in the passenger side of the car, which police said was forced off the road into a culvert, flipping the vehicle over.
A dog was also killed, while a 37-year-old man was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital and a nine-year-old boy was airlifted to the Royal Children's Hospital.
The man is said to be suffering from shock while the boy had facial injuries. Both are now said to be in a stable condition. The victims are reportedly all from the same Bendigo family.
Detective Sergeant Lineham said there had now been 11 deaths since the start of Operation Roadwise, the highly visible police operation designed to reduce road trauma for the holiday period.
It takes the number of lives lost on Victorian road this year to 263, compared to 211 at the same point last year.
I have attended a lot of crash scenes but this was upsetting. It's always upsetting, especially when there's children involved
- Ron Head of CFA Kingston Brigade
One Kingston resident called it a "really bad intersection. I have had a couple of close calls there myself," he told The Courier.
Ron Head, a lieutenant with CFA Kingston, was among the emergency services on the scene. He had just come from tackling a nearby fire at Springmount.
"I have attended a lot of crash scenes but this was upsetting. It's always upsetting, especially when there's children involved," he said.
The 59-year-old truck driver, reportedly from Western Australia, was uninjured although he was taken to hospital to have blood taken. He is currently helping police with their inquiries.
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