CFA and SES specialist rescue crews are working to free a badly injured truck driver, left trapped in the wreckage of his cabin after a crash in Lorne.
The accident occurred around 2pm while the semi-trailer loaded with around 20 tonnes of crane ballast was travelling down William Street.
Operations Officer Wayne Aylmer said “It appears the truck suffered a mechanical fault while travelling down the hill.”
“The trapped driver has told rescuers he steered his rig into a building, rather than risk lives by attempting to cross the Great Ocean Road.”
The crash happened just metres from Lorne’s police, ambulance, SES and fire stations. Emergency services were able to respond quickly.
Local CFA crews stopped leaking diesel fuel from reaching the sea and secured the scene while paramedics worked on the driver.
Two SES rescue crews and CFA’s Geelong based rescue unit are all attempting to free the trapped man.
Operations Officer Aylmer said “It’s a very, very complex rescue and the driver may remain trapped for a while.”
“The truck hit a house on stilts. The engine passed underneath, leaving the cabin to take the force of the collision.
“We’re trying to remove debris so we can get better access to the patient but there are concerns that if we move too much the truck could roll forward.
“To stop that we’ve arranged for a heavy haulage truck to come and anchor the semi.”
Author: CFA Media