Mother, daughter rushed to hospital after falling branch crushes car

A mother and daughter have managed to escape with their lives after a massive tree branch crushed their car in Belgrave on Tuesday morning.

A tree limb has fallen on the car of a mother and daughter in Belgrave. Credit: Nine News

The family's silver sedan was travelling along Belgrave-Gembrook Road in Melbourne's east when the branch crashed down, smashing the windscreen glass and stoving in the car's roof.

The 52-year-old mother from Lysterfield and her 10-year-old daughter were pried from the wreckage by emergency services who were called to the scene just before 9am.

The girl was airlifted to hospital with upper body injuries and her mother was sent to the Royal Melbourne Hospital by ambulance, where they now remain in a stable condition.

The road borders the Dandenong Ranges National Park and the branch fell from a tree within that park. For this reason, the Yarra Ranges Council say they are not responsible for the tree's management.

A council spokeswoman said it was a complicated issue when it comes to who is responsible for tree management – with the council, VicRoads, Parks Victoria and the Department of Land, Environment, Water and Planning all having a stake in keeping them pruned.

Yarra Ranges council's director of environment and engineering Mark Varmalis said there were about five million trees in the council's 2500 square kilometres, each

He said the council responds to a "large number" of requests from residents who might have concerns about the health of a tree.

If a tree is flagged "urgent" – posing an imminent risk to property or residents – an arborist will be sent to examine its health and subsequent action, including pruning or complete removal, will follow.

"When we are aware of trees in declining health or that may pose a risk in the future, we may re-visit the tree regularly to monitor conditions and assess whether further works are needed," Mr Varmalis said

Mr Varmalis encouraged any residents who were concerned about a tree on public land to call the council immediately, "especially if they notice significant changes to the state of the tree in a short period of time".

Parks Victoria is investigating the cause of the fallen tree in Belgrave. A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said there were regular inspections of roadside vegetation across the state, including this particular section of Belgrave-Gembrook Road.

But the spokesperson said drivers should exercise caution, especially along heavily treed roads as conditions can change quickly.

“We urge motorists driving in areas of dense bushland to be vigilant and to be aware of the potential for fallen branches and trees,” the spokesperson said.

Five people have been killed by falling trees in Victoria in just over a month, raising concerns about tree management policies adopted by councils across the state.

Last week Professor Allison Milner, the mother of two young boys, was killed as she walked to work when a large elm tree fell onto the footpath in Parkville in Melbourne's inner north.

Ms Milner was found shortly before 8.30am, peak time on the popular exercising and walking track in Parkville.

Construction workers rushed to the aid of the 36-year-old and she was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, but died shortly after.

The CFA worked to remove the woman and her daughter from the car. Credit: Nine News

Aborists say it is difficult to predict when a tree will fall and urban planning experts have warned against mass tree removal, saying it would be a knee-jerk reaction to what they call "isolated incidents".

The City of Melbourne is widely regarded to have best practice for tree management and all trees along Royal Parade were re-inspected last week.

But a 2005 council report noted the Royal Parade trees – as well as those at St Kilda Road, Victoria Parade, Fawkner Park and Fitzroy, Treasury and Carlton gardens – were declining in health and could start dying between 2015 and 2020.

The cause of the tree collapse that killed Professor Milner will now be investigated by the Coroner.

Professor Milner's death came three days after Angie Suryadi died when a tree crushed her family's car in the Yarra Ranges as they travelled to a snow holiday. Her husband Arnold Aditiasvara and two sons were also in the car but survived the ordeal.

The Endeavour Hills family was driving along the Black Spur when wild winds caused a large gum tree to fall across the car on the Maroondah Highway at Fernshaw.

The month before, in July, a man and his 10-year-old son died after a metre-wide gum tree fell on the roof of their car as they drove through Sherbrooke, 35 kilometres east of Melbourne.

An emergency worker told reporters the accident was "unavoidable".

"Unless you decide not to drive through forests ... This unlucky man and child were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Fallen tree incidents this year:

• July 14 Father and son killed after a large gum fell on their car travelling towards Sherbrooke during strong winds.
• Mid-July 64-year-old man crushed to death by a tree on a farm property in Yarrawalla, 233km north of Melbourne.
• August 9 Angie Suryadi, a mother of two, was killed after a tree fell on her car on the Black Spur highway in Fernshaw as her family embarked on a snow trip.
• August 12 Professor Allison Milner died when a Royal Parade elm fell on her while she was walking to work.