Witnesses saw car driving erratically before fatal Berwick crash

A 49-year-old father was killed in a smash after dropping his child at school and a 29-year-old man has been charged with culpable driving causing death.

Witnesess have described the terrifying moments before a speeding driver collided with another car in Berwick this morning. Picture: Google Maps.

A man from Melbourne’s southeast has been charged over a fatal collision that killed a father at Berwick on Friday.

A 29-year-old Cranbourne man, who was driving a blue Ford ute, has been charged with culpable driving causing death after a collision that killed a 49-year-old father who had just dropped his child off at school minutes.

The two vehicles collided at the O’Shea Rd and Kimbarra Driver intersection about 8am last Friday.

The 29-year-old has been remanded to appear at court in February next year.

Witnesses told the Herald Sun they saw a blue ute driving allegedly driving “quite erratically” about 10 minutes before the crash.

One witness said the driver’s behaviour on the road was “really scary to witness”.

Another person said they saw the driver heading down Greaves Rd in a “frightening” manner.

“I was at the roundabout and he came flying behind me and came in the middle of four cars parked behind each other and went straight through the roundabout without any care at all,” they said.

“The first thing that came to my mind was that this person is going to kill someone”.

Police closed O’Shea Rd in both directions after the collision.

This comes after AAMI Crash Index revealed Melbourne’s most dangerous roads from more than 350,000 insurance claims in the last 12 months.

Plenty Rd, Bundoora was found to be the worst road for crashes, with Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley and Ringwood’s Maroondah Hwy rounding out the top three.

The report also found Fridays were the most common days for crashes.

AAMI head of motor customer engagement, Tammy Hall said it was important for drivers to leave a “three second gap” between themselves and the car in front.

“This should be a larger gap if the driving conditions are poor, or you’re driving a heavy vehicle. This allows adequate time to react and respond to a situation safely and avoid a crash,” she said,

“Bumper to bumper collisions often happen during peak hour traffic when the roads are busy,

patience is wearing thin, drivers are tired from the day, and are in a rush to get to their destination.

“This is when accidents most commonly occur.

“Most risks on the road can be mitigated if everyone pays attention and drives to the conditions. It’s up to all of us to do the right thing to ensure everyone’s safety on the road. All it takes is a split second of not having your eyes on the road for things to go wrong”.

Victoria’s road death toll sits at 209, which is 39 more deaths than this time last year.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam/CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au