Driver killed by tree, child fighting for life as wild storm batters Melbourne
A man is dead, a child is fighting for life and more than 12,000 Victorians have been without power as wild weather rips across the state, downing trees onto power lines and train tracks. Here’s the latest.
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A man is dead and a child is fighting for life after they were struck by falling trees as severe weather battered parts of Victoria on Thursday night.
Police said a 59-year-old Tecoma man had his car crushed while he was driving on Terrys Ave in Belgrave, in Melbourne’s east.
The tree toppled on his car about 6pm and emergency crews worked to free him but he was unable to be saved.
In a separate incident, a five-year-old boy was critically injured after he was hit by a tree in Blackburn South about 6pm.
The child was taken to Box Hill Hospital before being transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
The wet and windy weather left thousands of Victorians without power on Thursday night.
According to CitiPower, 103 towns and 12,397 customers were affected.
An SES spokesman said there were 1233 call-outs between 2pm and 8pm.
That included 1032 calls for trees down.
The hardest-hit areas were Lilydale and Emerald in Melbourne’s outer east.
Trees also fell across train tracks, causing several major train lines in Melbourne to be suspended.
Buses are replacing trains on the Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston, Glen Waverley, Hurstbridge, Pakenham and Sandringham lines.
A transport department spokesman said crews were on their way to clear debris and restore power across the lines.
Vic Roads warned motorists to drive with extreme caution, with traffic signal outages at intersections along the Burwood Highway, Maroondah Highway, Canterbury Road, Springvale Road, Stud Road, Blackburn Road and Warrandyte Road.
Areas most affected by the storm included Hastings, Knox, Whitehorse and Bellarine.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning earlier today, advising parts of the state could see winds averaging up to 70km/h, but some areas along the south coast were already hit with more than 100 km/h winds.
Before 4:30pm on Thursday, Mt Gellibrand recorded a gust of 124km/h, with 102 km/h at Cape Otway, 100km/h at Port Fairy and 89 km/h at Avalon.
The Bureau warned peak gusts of up to 120 km/h are expected about the Alpine peaks.
A warning for damaging winds is in place for people living in parts of Central, East Gippsland, South West, North Central, North East and West and South Gippsland Forecast Districts.
It includes areas like Warrnambool, Geelong, Melbourne, Wonthaggi, Bairnsdale and Orbost.
Winds are moving from the south coastal areas towards the greater Melbourne area.
The cold front will then move towards central coasts in the early evening and reach the Gippsland coasts later tonight.
“These winds are associated with the passage of a cold front and will have a rapid onset and will not persist for long, gradually easing following the passage of the front,” the bureau said.
“Damaging winds will contract eastward tonight, easing below warning thresholds in the west during the late afternoon or early evening, central parts during the evening, and the East Gippsland coast by early Friday morning. Winds over the Northeast ranges will ease during Friday morning.”
Have you got pics of the storm? Send them to us at news@heraldsun.com.au
Severe Weather Warning for DAMAGING WINDS
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) August 27, 2020
For people in parts of Central, East Gippsland, South West, North Central, North East and West and South Gippsland Forecast Districts.
Stay Informed: https://t.co/T05ONtObdB pic.twitter.com/L7Sdw817E0
The State Emergency Service has advised people to watch out for falling trees and powerlines, move vehicles away from trees and secure loose items like outdoor settings, umbrellas or trampolines.
Residents in the warning area are also urged to stay indoors and away from windows.
Originally published as Driver killed by tree, child fighting for life as wild storm batters Melbourne