Bryce Eishold
A man has been discharged from hospital after being flown to Melbourne in a serious condition after the car he was travelling in rolled at Boolarra South this morning.
The incident has prompted emergency services to warn about the dangers of driving on unsealed roads such as gravel roads and logging tracks, particularly in remote areas.
Four men were in the four-wheel-drive van when it rolled on Snowdens Road, Boolarra South just before 8am.
The front seat passenger, a man in his 30s from Moe, was treated at the scene with suspected spinal, neck, shoulder and abdominal injuries and later flown to The Alfred hospital in a serious condition.
Three other men from Glengarry and Moe, including the driver, escaped without major injuries, however, were assessed by paramedics at the scene.
Boolarra Leading Senior Constable Matt Ryan said the driver attempted to avoid a fallen tree which was blocking half of the road before losing traction, causing the van to roll.
“He ended up on sloshy part of the road and over-corrected after trying to avoid the tree. He then hit into the embankment and ended up on his roof,” Leading Senior Constable Ryan said.
The men were on their way to work at a nearby timber plantation.
“It looks like he’s gone around that tree that was down on the road and was probably going a little bit too quick for the conditions,” he said.
The incident came less than 24 hours after a father and son were forced to call for help at Jeeralang on Monday after almost rolling their vehicle down a hill.
Police said the pair were driving along a four-wheel-drive track off Jeeralang North Road when they crossed a fallen tree, causing the four-wheel-drive to slip sideways – only metres from rolling down an embankment.
“[Snowdens Road] was really good compared to the other roads I’ve been onto recently, the edge was a bit soft but the base of the road was pretty solid,” Leading Senior Constable Ryan said.
“However, it would’ve been quite slippery given the rain we had the other night.”
While spring is less than a month away, police are warning motorists to slow down and drive to the conditions, particularly on rural roads and areas which could be subject to ordinary surfaces, such as dirt or gravel, or fallen trees.
“People need to drive their vehicles to the condition of the road and the weather. Slow down and take all due care,” Leading Senior Constable Ryan said.
“I think it’s lack of experience by people. They think they’ll just have a crack and end up stuck and requiring emergency services to help recover them.”
