Ballarat East man, 33, dies after car slams into tree in Bannockburn

A man who was killed after he fled a police intercept and later crashed into a tree in Bannockburn has been identified.

Midland Hwy in Bannockburn was closed after a fatal crash. Picture: Alan Barber

A man who was killed after he fled from police and later crashed into a tree in Bannockburn has been identified.

A 33-year-old man from Ballarat East died after his car slammed into a tree on the Midland Hwy.

The state’s road policing assistant commissioner Glenn Weir said the deceased had “sped off” after being approached in his vehicle near Lethbridge about 7.30pm on Tuesday.

His car was found smashed into a tree on the Midland Hwy, about 25 minutes north west of Geelong, at 6.30am on Wednesday.

“The police made a risk assessment and quite rightly, given his behaviour, didn’t pursue that person,” Mr Weir said.

“Sometime later, and we don’t know exactly when, he has collided at high speed with a tree.

“That is quite a complex investigation (and) it’s in its early stages.”

He said the circumstances and time of his death are still unclear.

Members of the Victoria Police ethical standards command were at the scene this afternoon, with the state’s Major Collision Investigation Unit placing a marquee near the crash site in an effort to preserve evidence.

Police at the scene on Wednesday morning. Picture: Alan Barber

The road is still closed on Wednesday. Picture: Alan Barber

The manager of the nearby Ampol service station, which has been heavily affected by the crash, described the scene this morning as “chaotic”.

“It was a big crash,” he said.

“It is pretty close to the service station, by the time I got to work there were police and ambulance crews everywhere and everything like that.”

He said he had been left “very sad” to learn a person had died.

“That is devastating,” he said.

MCIU detectives are investigating the exact circumstances surrounding the crash.

A section of the Midland Hwy, between Kelly and Maddern roads, was closed following the crash.

It’s understood motorists have been using a back entrance to access the service station.

It was the second fatal car crash in the region in the past 36 hours, following the death of two people after a head-on collision in on Cape Otway Rd in Moriac on Monday night.

The driver and sole occupant of each vehicle – a 23-year-old Moriac man and a 59-year-old Winchelsea man – both died at the scene.

Police believe the vehicles were travelling in opposite directions when one allegedly veered onto the wrong side of the road.

Anyone who witnessed the collision, has CCTV, dashcam footage or any other information that could assist police should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Ballarat East man, 33, dies after car slams into tree in Bannockburn