‘We knew straight away’: Resident recalls horror of fatal Tatura crash

The male driver of the first vehicle, an 81-year-old from Moama, along with a female passenger, an 80-year-old woman from the Gippsland town of Five Ways, died at the scene.

A second female passenger in the same vehicle, a 76-year-old NSW woman with upper and lower body injuries, was airlifted to Melbourne’s The Alfred hospital in a stable condition.

Two men in the second vehicle, a Subaru station wagon, both sustained serious injuries.

The driver, a 64-year-old Kyabram man, was taken by road ambulance to Goulburn Valley Health in Shepparton in a stable condition with upper and lower body injuries, but has since been flown from there to a Melbourne hospital.

His passenger, a 20-year-old Merrigum man, was flown to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition.

A nearby north-west Mooroopna resident said she and her husband were among the first on the scene of the horror incident.

The couple recalled going to check on one of the vehicles involved and being confronted by the scene inside.

“The passenger’s side was caved in,” she said.

“We went over to the car where the three occupants were and we knew straight away (that the two in the front were dead),” she said.

The residents, who have lived in the area for more than 25 years, said the intersection was a well-known hotspot for crashes.

The woman said she called 000 at 4.30pm on Saturday.

She estimates around four ambulances, two helicopters, Tatura SES, Shepparton Search and Rescue and many police officers attended the scene.

A message from the woman to the community and people travelling through the area was to “drive safely and with caution”.

Victoria Police’s Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the collision.

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