Melbourne roads: The car accidents that horrified Victoria in 2021

As Melbourne begins 2022, these are the tragic car accidents that stopped the state in 2021, and changed lives forever.

As Melbourne welcomes the beginning of 2022, it’s hard to believe that the families of 235 people will have their thoughts cast in a different — and tragic — direction.

That’s how many lives have been lost on Victorian roads this year — a jump of more than 11 per cent compared to the previous year, according to the Transport Accident Commission.

Below are the five accidents that stopped the state when news of the tragedies broke.

CARRUM DOWNS HIT AND RUN

At 7.15am on November 10, beloved father-of-four Timmy Rakei was cordoning off a section of Hall Rd in Carrum Downs with fellow traffic controller Shaun Kilmartin.

Travelling at speed on Hall Rd was a red Holden Commodore — the driver of which police allege was seriously drug affected.

Mr Rakei, 44, was struck by the car and tragically died at the scene, while Mr Kilmartin was taken to The Alfred hospital in serious condition.

Shocking CCTV footage obtained on the day showed the drivers exiting the car and fleeing the scene immediately.

A 30-year-old man, of no fixed address, was arrested two days following the offence and consequently charged by police.

TRUGANINA COLLISION

Four young men were killed in Truganina on September when the car carrying them collided head-on with a truck.

The accident, which happened at 7.30pm on Doherty’s Rd, occurred after the group had been harassed by a gang only eight minutes before driving over a median strip to escape their assailants.

Two of the young men killed included cousins Kevin Reech, 16, and Said Husen, 17.

In October police announced a homicide investigation into the crash, citing the altercation between the car carrying the four victims and three other cars on Derrimut Rd.

DIGGERS REST CRASH

Close to midnight on September 23, Hillside woman Taylah Modric became concerned that her partner, 22 year-old woman Janelle Noonan-Long, hadn’t returned home yet.

Tragically, when Ms Modric heard of an car accident on on Plumpton Rd in Diggers Rest, she drove straight to the scene where Ms Noonan-Long and a colleague had been involved in a catastrophic car accident.

Ms Noonan Long was driving when her car veered off the road and struck a pole before midnight, with her passenger sustaining critical injuries.

CALDER FWY TRUCK ROLLOVER

One of the most heartbreaking car accidents to occur in 2021 involved the death of a two-year-old girl from Caulfield South.

At 2.30pm on December 6, a 42-tonne truck carrying grain hit multiple cars and and smashed through a metal barrier at the Diggers Rest/Bulla Overpass.

The toddler died at the scene, while her parents and one-year-old sister were taken to hospital in critical conditions.

A 62-year-old man from South Melbourne amazingly survived the crash, despite being stuck under the truck until emergency services were able to free him.

The driver of the truck, a 42-year-old man, was charged with culpable driving causing death.

MONASH FREEWAY ACCIDENT

Just days after tragedy struck on the Calder Fwy, another harrowing collision occurred on Melbourne’s roads — this time on the Monash Fwy in Glen Iris.

Just after 8am December 10, a woman pulled over on Monash near Darling Rd, before she got out and was hit by a truck.

The truck driver pulled over and assisted police with their inquiries, with no charges laid over the incident.