Driver survives crash after petrol tanker swerves across freeway at Drouin
 Baw Baw News   By // 14:03, Saturday 22 June 2013

emergency warragul citizenTHE DRIVER of a petrol tanker which swerved across all lanes of the Princes Freeway near Drouin just after 1.30pm yesterday has been released from hospital.

A Warragul Police spokesperson told The Warragul Citizen the man was taken to hospital after his east-bound truck crossed the west-bound lanes of the freeway and climbed ten metres up an embankment before colliding with a tree.


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“The driver of the petrol tanker was travelling east on the Princes Freeway [at] Drouin, when after passing under the Princes Way overpass he lost all positive control of steering, possibly due to a mechanical failure,” the spokesperson said.

“When the driver realised he was unable to steer the tanker he applied brakes.

“This application caused the tanker to swerve to the right, crossing the east-bound lanes, over and through the median strip [with] no rope wire barrier [in place], and across the west-bound lanes of the freeway.

“The tanker travelled approximately 10 metres up an embankment on the south side of the freeway and collided into tree, [where the] prime mover and tanker then came to rest.


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“The driver was conveyed to Warragul Hospital and later released.”

One west-bound lane of the freeway was closed at Buln Buln Road after the incident.

This article is an update of Collision closes Freeway lane at Drouin, published yesterday shortly before 4pm.

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4 responses to “Driver survives crash after petrol tanker swerves across freeway at Drouin”

  1. Mary Rulach says:

    Oh dear…! 🙁

  2. It’s very strange. I always read about an accident back in the Baw Baw shire on this site, on days I’m going to Tiba’s on Sydney Rd in Brunswick for dinner. :/
    Maybe I need to stop going to dinner there.

  3. Iain Mclean says:

    This could have been an horrific accident.If the bushes and trees had remained in the median strip the tanker would not have made it to the other lanes, please note Baw Baw shire and Vic roads!!!

  4. Uh yeah. Pretty sure the tanker making it to the other lanes to begin with wasn’t a good thing anyway.

    In any case, it is a miracle no one was killed.