Tributes flow for Mary-Anne Cutajar after Ring Road tragedy as police home in on truck driver

The driver killed by a piece of metal that had fallen from a truck has been remembered as a “beautiful angel” as police continue their hunt for the driver in a meticulous investigation.

Mary-Anne Cutajar, who was killed when a piece of metal flew from a truck and smashed into her car, with Daniel Cutajar on their wedding day this year. Picture: Facebook

The innocent driver killed when a piece of metal fell from a truck and smashed into her car has been remembered as a “beautiful angel” who was always there for her young daughter.

Mary-Anne Cutajar, 46, died after a piece of equipment became loose from a nearby truck and smashed through her windscreen on the M80 Ring Road near St Albans on Thursday.

Police were on Saturday night continuing to appeal for the driver of the truck to come forward.

Ms Cutajar’s daughter Laura Grech said her mother was “always there” for her as tributes from loved ones in both Melbourne and Malta poured in online.

“Rest in peace mum. Love you heaps and miss you like crazy,” her heartbreaking tribute posted to Instagram read.

“I know you’re always there for me even though you’re not here anymore.”

Rebecca Sacco said the world had “lost a beautiful woman inside (and) out.”

“Please pray for her soul, and for her family in these tough times,” she said.

“Fly high beautiful angel. Take care of your loved ones.”

That tribute was shared by Ms Cutajar’s sister, Antonella Zerafa, who is understood to be living in Malta.

Lauren Grech shared an emotion tribute to her mother online. Picture: Instagram

Mary-Anne Cutajar has been remembered as a ‘beautiful angel’.

The Deer Park woman had just returned from holidaying and visiting family in Gozo, Malta, where she once lived 30 years ago.

She also recently married husband Daniel Cutajar in January.

But her life was tragically cut short after Thursday’s freak incident.

The police investigation into Ms Cutajar’s death shapes as a meticulous task if the driver of the truck fails to hand themselves in.

Freeway cameras and the piece of metal that fatally struck Ms Cutajar are expected to be central in inquires made by the major collision investigation unit.

Detectives believe the piece of metal — a Riv-Nail Driver system — fell from a truck before the driver continued on.

The driver was on Saturday night yet to notify police despite desperate pleas from authorities to hand themselves in.

That will likely leave major collision investigators exploring several avenues to locate the driver without any co-operation.

One of those will centre around the large piece of metal that struck Ms Cutajar’s windscreen on Thursday afternoon.

The tool which is believed to have come off the back of a truck. Picture: Victoria Police

Investigators will likely pursue who sold the tool to a local business. Picture: Victoria Police

The company who manufactured it before potentially selling it to a local trade business may point detectives in the right direction.

From there, they will work to locate the Victorian business and hone in on any workers travelling on the city’s freeway network at the time.

But the most efficient and plausible avenue of inquiry will be scanning dashcam footage submitted by road users before and after the smash.

The truck was last seen travelling towards Altona but it is not known where it travelled to from there.

It is hoped freeway cameras operated by VicRoads — detecting speed, registrations and traffic flow — will also be able to assist investigators.

Police say the piece of metal that struck Ms Cutajar’s car is about a metre long and 30cm wide.

Emergency services at the scene on Thursday. Picture: 7News

They have urged drivers of utes and trucks to assess their loads to see if any pieces have gone missing since Thursday evening.

One truckie, who carries concreting and excavation gear daily, said the driver in question would likely have noticed a missing piece of equipment by now.

He said failing to secure loads was a huge issue on the roads among drivers.

“(The driver) might not have known but when you get home or to the yard, you’d figure it out pretty quick,” he said.

“It’s stuff that gets ignored so often.”

Transurban say there were 1256 incidents of debris and lost loads on CityLink between August 2023 and July this year — an average of three each day.

Police are continuing to appeal for anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.