Four dead and two fighting for life after horror car smash in Truganina

Four people have died and two are fighting for life as police revealed more details about how the horror smash in Melbourne’s outer suburbs unfolded.

Six teenagers who had piled into a car before smashing into a truck in Melbourne’s outer west were not wearing seat belts before the horror crash that claimed four of their lives, police say.

Two of the teenagers were killed at the scene and two others died after they were rushed to Royal Melbourne Hospital.

The remaining two were fighting for life on Friday after a sedan travelling east along Dohertys Road in Truganina slammed head-on with a small truck near Forsyth Road about 7.30pm on Thursday.

The sedan was travelling east along Dohertys Road in Truganina when it smashed head-on with a small truck. Picture: Josie Hayden

Assistant Commissioner of Road Policing Command Glenn Weir said the group in the car were all aged between 15 and 20 years old.

Police also believe the car was being driven by a 16-year-old who did not hold a driver’s licence.

The driver and sole occupant of the truck was taken to hospital for observation.

Assistant Commissioner Weir said police were still investigating the incident but believed the car had lost control before it ploughed into the truck.

“There are suggestions of speed and inappropriate driving and if you look at the poor old truck driver who was just driving along doing his job and has now been involved in just a terrible incident,” he told reporters on Friday morning.

“It appears none of them (inside the sedan) were wearing seat belts – a basic safety requirement none of them have undertaken and as a result four of them are dead and two of them are critical.

“Families have been devastated, young lives have been snuffed out and yet we see this behaviour happening time and time again.”

Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir says police believe the car lost control before it smashed into the truck in Truganina. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Assistant Commissioner Weir said he was concerned about similar incidents occurring as Melburnians prepared to emerge from lockdown in the coming weeks.

“Examples overseas have shown that there has been a disproportionate level of risk taking as communities come out of Covid-19 lockdown and we’re nearly at that stage,” he said.

“We’re really worried that we’re going to see a disproportionate level of road trauma on the roads because people will engage in risks they wouldn’t normally take.”

Major Collison Investigation Unit detectives are continuing to investigate the incident on Friday.

Anyone who witnessed or with dashcam footage should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Four dead and two fighting for life after horror car smash in Truganina