Four dead in major crash on Hume Fwy, Chiltern Valley
Four elderly people from central NSW were on their way to Melbourne to see family and friends when they were killed in a horror crash in Victoria’s north.
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FRIDAY EVENING UPDATE: Two of four victims of an horrific crash on the Hume Freeway have been identified.
Two married couples, aged in their 70s, were killed when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck at the intersection of the Hume Freeway and Wenkes Rd at Chiltern, just before 10.30am on Thursday.
Trevor and Lorraine Breen, believed to be from Wagga Wagga, were one of the couples killed, 7 News reported on Friday.
The other couple is yet to be identified.
People have taken to social media with thoughts of the couples.
“My heart breaks for this terrible accident,” Veronica Dench posted.
“They will be sadly missed by their families and friends.”
FRIDAY UPDATE: Two married couples were on their way to Melbourne to see family and friends when they were killed in a horror crash in Victoria’s north.
The elderly couples, from central NSW, had been driving for hundreds of kilometres when they stopped off in Chiltern for a break and a coffee.
It was when they tried to get back onto the Hume Freeway that disaster struck.
Their silver Subaru was turning onto the freeway when they were hit by a b-double truck.
Police have said the truck driver is not believed to be at fault.
Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said there was no suggestion the driver of the Subaru had had any earlier poor driving before they failed to give way to the truck.
“They’ve done the right thing, they’ve stopped for a break,” he said.
“It’s an intersection that local people know and need to take care.”
He said while it was too early to suggest there were changes that needed to happen at the intersection, it was “not ideal to have people joining a 110km/h road from zero to 110”.
He said there was so far no suggestion that the state of the road influenced the collision.
“It’s simply the laws of physics,” he said.
“We cannot enforce our way out of it.”
Asst Com Weir said he was “sick” of fronting the media to talk about road trauma.
“You wonder about what else do we have to do or say,” he said.
“The human cost, you can’t treat that.”
He said, each year, a Christmas tree was put up at police headquarters with baubles for each person killed on Victorian roads.
“We’re going to need a big tree this year,” he said.
Asst Com Weir said police would work with the driver of the truck to try to find out what happened.
“You never go to work thinking you’re going to be involved in traumatic incidents,” he said.
“You just feel so sorry for the driver who was just going about his job.”
Indigo Shire mayor Sophie Price said she was in Chiltern when the incident happened.
“I heard an enormous amount of emergency responders heading towards the freeway and knew something shocking had happened,” she said.
“Given that we now know these people are from central NSW — our thoughts go to them and their families at this time.”
Ms Price said the shire had been advocating for road safety improvements in the area for “some time”.
“I’m not aware that that’s particularly a factor in this instance but we will continue our advocacy for a better standard or roads,” Ms Price said.
“In the area we’ve got lots of different examples of where there’s speed reduction in place where we have a crossover with the major arterial.
“Lots of people are suggesting that’s something that could be implemented along this section but we leave the appropriate investigation and reflection for the responsible authorities to happen and we will participate in that to see whether any safety improvements can be made to that section.”
Ms Price urged road users to stay aware and drive to the conditions.
“This has been a real moment for us to reflect,” she said.
“We just say to our community ‘please be aware, drive to the conditions, we want you to arrive home safely and unfortunately that’s not the case for these four individuals who will remain in our thoughts’.”
Business owner Lisa Bishop, who has an art studio and gallery shop on the corner of Main St and Conness St, said friends and family had been reaching out to all in the town since the crash to confirm they were safe.
“I live in Wangarratta and I take that road every day,” she said.
“Everybody just feels so shocked and sad.
“Lots of people have been checking in because they know I come that way.
“Our hearts definitely go out to the people who died.”
THURSDAY: Four people have died in a horror crash in Chiltern Valley, between Wangaratta and Wodonga.
They died after a B-double truck and car collided at the Hume Highway-Wenkes Rd intersection about 10.30am Thursday.
Four people who were travelling in the sedan died at the scene. It’s understood they may have been travelling from interstate.
The truck’s driver, a 30-year-old man from the area, suffered minor upper body injuries and was taken to hospital.
He was last night at home being cared for by his brother.
He was taken to hospital but has since returned home to the care of his brother.
Specialist crash detectives from the Major Collision Investigation Unit have arrived at the scene.
Part of the Hume Fwy has been closed, with northbound traffic being diverted at Springhurst while southbound traffic is not impacted.
Wodonga Inspector Joel Hughes said the truck was heading northbound on the Hume Fwy when the silver Subaru turned left from the Wenke Rd intersection but police were still trying to confirm all the details.
“Unfortunately in regional Victoria this year we’ve seen a number of lives lost on our roads, and this is another tragic incident,” he said.
“Victoria Police are still investigating the cause of the collision, but we just want all road users to be safe on our roads.
A Department of Transport spokesman said it was unclear how long the road would be closed for and the closure was under the control of emergency services.
“Drivers heading towards Wodonga will be diverted onto Rutherglen-Springhurst Road then the Murray Valley Highway, to return to the freeway at Barnawartha North,” the spokesman said.
“Lanes will only re-open when it’s safe to do so.
“VicRoads staff will provide assistance in setting up traffic management on detour routes.”
A local woman, who asked not to be named, said the collision was a “tragedy” and the small community would “no doubt be sending prayers to the families” of the victims.
Managing director of Ron Finemore Transport, Mark Parry, who the truck driver involved work for, said the company’s thoughts were with the people in the car and their families.
“Our thoughts are with them and then with our driver,” he said.
“It is a sad day for everyone involved.”
Four people have died after a horror crash on the Hume Fwy in the state's north. Northbound traffic is being diverted onto Rutherglen-Springhurst Rd. Read the latest: https://t.co/Bdrw6pyzcu pic.twitter.com/4YZAuSVd0D
— Phillippa Butt (@phillippabutt) August 31, 2023
He said the driver had just come off of a 12-hour break and footage showed he wasn’t speeding.
Mr Parry also said a blood-alcohol test taken at the scene showed the driver wasn’t alcohol-affected and truck cabin footage showed he wasn’t speeding. It’s understood he also passed a drug test at the hospital.
“We will continue to co-operate with the police,” he said.
The truck company has sent staff to the scene to help police and the driver.
A Chiltern Valley local, who lives nearby but asked not to be named, said that the stretch of highway where the crash occurred was “notorious” for crashes and near misses.
“Pretty much from Boralma all the way to Barnawartha is a notorious section of the highway,” he said.
“There’ve been a few accidents along there.
“It’s not as straight as the other sections, it’s a windy section.
“It’s just a stretch of the highway where there always seems to be accidents… it’s a notorious stretch of the highway.”
A Chiltern IGA employee, who also asked not to be named, agreed.
She said she believed the speed limit should be dropped from 100km/h to 80km/h.
“You’ve got an 80km/h going into Wodonga because of the petrol station where the trucks go,” she said.
“It should be 80km/h on the freeway.
“It’s just a dangerous crossing.”.
Chiltern-Howlong Rd, Browns Plains. Murray Valley Hwy to Conness St - Detour, Detour route due to closure of Hume Fwy northbound carriageway between Springhurst and Chiltern https://t.co/JyKIGwQy3w #victraffic
— VicTraffic (@VicTraffic) August 31, 2023
On social media, people have thanked emergency services.
“My deepest condolences goes out to all those impacted by this tragedy,” Dianne Smith posted.
“Thank you emergency services for everything you do.”
Debbie Brace Romeo said the incident was “so sad”.
“Thinking of first response people (and) all emergencies services (and) families involved,” she said.
Susan Kenna added “just so tragic”.
Four people have died in a horror crash in Chiltern Valley, between Wangaratta and Wodonga. Emergency services were called to the Hume Hwy-Wenkes Rd intersection just after 10.30am on Thursday. Read the latest: https://t.co/IvbxR5zpJC pic.twitter.com/6N7TIht5v9
— Jack Franco (@JackFrancoCol) August 31, 2023
Chiltern Valley is to the west of the township of Chiltern, about 280km from Melbourne. Chiltern has a population of just under 1600, and was the birthplace of Sir John McEwen, the 18th prime minister of Australia, who served from 1967 to ‘68.
Witnesses or anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.
The crash comes as Victoria continues to record a disastrous road toll. So far 197 people have been killed on the state’s roads this year.
In April, five people were killed after Doncaster man Christopher Joannidis crashed into their Nissan Navara in Strathmerton, about an hour west of Chiltern, causing the ute to collide with a truck.
The five victims, which included Cobram local Debbie Markey, were all killed instantly. In January, four men were killed as their Toyota HiLux collided with a Peugeot sedan in Shepparton.
Three teenagers and a woman were also killed in a high-speed crash in the state’s west in May. A Toyota Corolla smashed into a tree in Bochara, killing Alicia Montebello, 31, year 10 student Joshua Elmes, Lucus Garzoli and 14-year-old Meghan Fox.
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