The local woman, believed to be in her 40s, suffered fractures to the ribs, elbow and spine, an injury to her shoulder and had blood on her lungs after the head-on crash, in which a 75-year-old man was killed.

An Alfred Hospital spokesman said she was in a stable condition following the operation last night.

The man travelling in the other car was released yesterday from Maryborough District Health Service with minor injuries.

Maryborough highway patrol’s Senior Constable Shaun Martin said they were still investigating the cause of the crash.

“It could be an issue before the accident and it may take until a post-mortem before we establish a reason,” he said.

He said the injuries suffered by the woman were typical of a car crash.

“The spinal fractures are very common because of the sudden shift in lateral movement,” he said.

Senior Constable Martin said the car, which was an older model Holden Astra, would not have offered much protection to the occupants.

“There were no air bags and it lacked safety features of newer cars,” he said.

“It really crumpled on impact.”