UPDATE: 9.10pm
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A SISTER and brother from Eppalock are lucky to be alive after surviving a harrowing ordeal on Thursday afternoon when their car crashed into a tree in a 100 kilometre per hour in Axe Creek.
The 18-year-old driver was trapped inside the vehicle for more than one hour, but both she and her 10-year-old brother are currently in a stable condition in Bendigo Health’s emergency department.
The green Mitsubishi Lancer was travelling into Bendigo along Strathfieldsaye when the accident occurred. The female driver was trapped in the car for more than one hour.
“For some reason, which we don’t yet know why, the driver has lost control of the vehicle and ploughed into a tree,” Bendigo Highway Patrol Sergeant Peter Beaman said.
“There were no witnesses but, at this stage, we don’t believe speed was a factor.”
The crash occurred at about 4.40pm and the driver was not removed from the vehicle until after 5.40pm.
“Initially, her legs were trapped, afterwards she was receiving treatment before she could be removed from the car,” Sergeant Beaman said.
“She was talking to paramedics and while her injuries are serious they are not life threatening.”
The 10-year-old passenger was taken from the scene to hospital in an ambulance at about 5.25pm for a check-up, though Sargeant Beaman said his injuries did not appear to be serious.
CFA crews from Axe Creek and Bendigo attended to the scene and dozens of SES workers were on hand to secure the scene and help remove the driver.
The crash occurred on a crest of the road about one kilometre west of Longlea Lane.
One long-term resident whose property backs onto the stretch of road where the crash occurred said he had seen several “near misses” on the crest.
“They come up the hill and they don’t see someone coming out of one of the properties are what’s coming in the other direction,” Glenn Boughton said.
“This stretch is also a bit of a thoroughfare for kangaroos.”