UPDATE 3PM: POLICE say two drivers were "a split second" from disaster when their trucks collided at Runnymede on Wednesday.
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Goornong Leading Senior Constable Darren Scherger said a concrete pumper was driving on the Northern Highway towards Echuca when its front tyre blew out.
The driver lost control of the heavy vehicle and collided with the trailer of a semi-trailer travelling in the other direction.
"Just a split second before or after and the pumper would have collided head-on with the semi," he said.
"With them both going 100 kilometres an hour, there would have been multiple fatalities."
The driver of the semi-trailer was transported to Bendigo Health with minor injuries; the pumper driver was treated on scene for shock.
Leading Senior Constable Scherger said both men were understandably shaken up.
"They're shaking like leaves and the shock well and truly kicked in," he said.
"We've well and truly had a lucky escape just days before Easter."
Leading Senior Constable Scherger said it highlighted the warning to stay safe on the road.
"While we urge people to be careful, there really was nothing that could have been done to prevent this one," he said.
"Both trucks were roadworthy and in good condition and this was just a mechanical fault.
"The skill of pumper driver was the only thing that managed to keep the truck going straight ahead as opposed to it veering head-on with another vehicle.
The scene took several hours to clear and was expected to disrupt traffic on the Northern Highway until 5pm on Wednesday.
"The semi was full of meat which needed to be unloaded and transferred and the front axles of the pumper had to be torn out before it could be towed," Leading Senior Constable Scherger said.
UPDATE 12.55PM: An Ambulance Victoria spokesman has confirmed the crash happened just south of Elmore at Runnymede.
"We've transported a man in his 50s to Bendigo with shoulder and elbow injuries," he said.
"We've also treated another man in his 30s at the scene for shock."
The CFA had reported earlier the crash was on the Northern Highway but Ambulance Victoria has confirmed it was on the Midland Highway.
EARLIER: The CFA said the crash has happened on the Northern Highway.
A CFA spokeswoman said there was a lot of debris on the road.
The spokeswoman said neither driver was trapped but their conditions are unknown and an ambulance was on the way to the scene.
More to come...