UPDATE 3.15PM: Police have confirmed the deceased man was a 40-year-old from Moama, who was driving the car.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The injured man was a 53-year-old from Echuca and a passenger in the car.
UPDATE 10.05AM: Witnesses to a crash which has left one man dead and another fighting for life in a Melbourne hospital administered CPR to the victims until paramedics arrived.
Leading Senior Constable Kris Sutton of Campaspe Highway Patrol Echuca said the crash happened about 6.55am.
He said a kangaroo was involved in the crash but police were investigating whether the car heading south on the Northern Highway hit or swerved around the animal before leaving the road and hitting two trees.
Leading Senior Constable Sutton said it appeared speed was not a factor in the crash.
The two men were not local residents.
Leading Senior Constable Sutton said the road was notorious for kangaroos.
“It appears to be the time of year they get up and about looking for feed, with the recent rain conducive for them to be feeding," he said.
Another kangaroo lying dead near the scene of the crash was hit by another car travelling behind the one involved in the fatal crash.
Leading Senior Constable Sutton said there were several witnesses to the crash travelling in cars behind and thanked them for stopping and administering CPR to the victims.
More to come…
UPDATE 9.15AM: The Northern Highway is blocked in both directions with traffic banking up at the scene.
Country Fire Authority and State Emergency Service personnel remain at the crash site.
The crash happened on the straight stretch of the Northern Highway.
There are no visible skid marks on the road where the Ford Territory left the road and hit the tree.
The body of a kangaroo is nearby but police are still investigating the cause of the crash.
Police will hold a media conference at the scene soon.
UPDATE 9.10AM: Police have confirmed the person who has died was male and are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
It appears the car was travelling south on the Northern Highway when it lost control and crashed into two trees, near Gibb Road, just before 7am, police said.
Police have also been told the driver may have been trying to avoid a kangaroo just prior to the crash.
The male driver died at the scene.
His male passenger has been flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. The 2014 provisional road toll now stands at 103.
UPDATE 8.40AM: Police have confirmed one person has died in the Toolleen crash.
A police spokesman said no further details could be released at this stage.
UPDATE 8.15AM: One person has been freed from the vehicle and is being flown to Melbourne with chest injuries. The male is in a serious but stable condition, an Ambulance Victoria spokesman said.
UPDATE 7.40AM: The Northern Highway has been closed at Gibb Road due to the accident. VicRoads advises drivers travelling through the area to seek an alternate route.
UPDATE 7.35AM: An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said an ambulance helicopter had just arrived on scene.
He said the two people trapped in the car were both men.
He said it was believed the driver swerved to avoid hitting a kangaroo and crashed into a tree.
UPDATE 7.30AM: CFA Spokeswoman Andrea Brown said two people were trapped in a car in Toolleen and one was in a serious condition.
She said both people were breathing and one was conscious but the other unconscious.
She said the CFA was on site and an air ambulance was on its way.
EARLIER: Emergency services are responding to a rescue on the Northern Highway near Toolleen.
The incident is listed on the CFA website as a road accident/rescue.
More to come.