By AIDAN KNIGHT
A NEWBOROUGH woman was hospitalised after a single-vehicle crash on the Princes Highway near Moe last Thursday (January 15).
Traffic was brought to a standstill across the length of the township after a car travelling along the highway near the John Field-Princes on-ramp at Hernes Oak rolled and was subsequently flipped onto its roof around 8.15am, police said.
The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, aged 30, was trapped for a period of time and freed by emergency services around 9.58 am. It was from there that she was transported to hospital, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident resulted in heavy traffic delays throughout Moe, with motorists reporting congestion at one point stretching from Hernes Oak to the first Morwell exit during the morning peak. Delays also impacted the Haunted Hills/Newborough exits and the surrounding area, and drivers were redirected through the Moe CBD, with cars backed up to the general Yallourn area.
Police said investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing and have urged motorists to take extra care on local roads.
Police remained at the scene for some time, and motorists were advised to avoid the area, which remained delayed and detoured for several hours.
Express cadet journalist Peace Ijiyera was caught up in the traffic on the way to work. Express advertising rep, Maddison Delacy shared
a similar experience in her own commute.
One motorist told the Express they attempted to board the Gunns Gully ramp eastbound shortly after the incident occurred, at 8.20am, experiencing “no traffic movement at all after 20 minutes, police asked cars on the ramp to turn around and divert back up the ramp and through town.”
Police worked diligently, allowing traffic to move normally by 10.30am that morning.
IT seems getting to work on time was not on the cards for much of the Express payroll, as another reporter sat on a stationary eastbound train at Moe station for half an hour before the incident on the highway.
This occurred after a passenger, whom others on board described as “obviously affected by substances”, allegedly began punching windows and alarming passengers. The man was wearing a black T-shirt and red shorts, but his age was not determined.
This occurred in the first carriage, and the conductor was alerted during transit between Trafalgar and three young men, travelling on the service to go mountain biking, ran the length of the train to the third carriage and banged on the crew door to inform him.
The conductor alerted the driver before pulling into Moe station at 8.08am, where the train remained until 8.30am. As passengers were alerted, it became a police operation. Additional V/Line workers were on board as passengers, as they often do, heading towards Traralgon to begin their shift. The event impacted further service departure times that day.
One such worker was heard by the Express to remark, “It’s too early for this”, when calling ahead to inform staff at Traralgon of the impacted times.
The service scheduled for arrival in Morwell at 8.19am arrived at 8.44 am, and two services were cancelled altogether on the line that same day.
The crash and the separate police incident on the Gippsland rail line combined to create an interesting pair of disruptions across Moe and the wider Latrobe Valley during the morning peak. While emergency services and transport staff worked to restore normal conditions, the events highlighted the vulnerability of the region’s key transport corridors, with police investigations into the crash continuing.
Anyone who witnessed the incidents or has CCTV/dashcam vision or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at: www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
