Cars regularly drive straight through stop signs at the intersection of the Northern Highway and Cornella-Toolleen road, Toolleen Hotel proprietor Jim Webb said.

Two people were airlifted to Melbourne hospitals on Sunday afternoon after a two car collision unfurled in front of Toolleen Hotel staff and patrons. Paramedics drove three more to hospital in Bendigo.

The day was very traumatic for staff, Toolleen Hotel proprietor Jim Webb said.

“It happened right in front of their eyes,” he said.

The crash followed another two-car collision on January 18 which saw four people transported to Bendigo Hospital and both cars written off. 

Toolleen Hotel staff witnessed that crash too.

Police are investigating whether driver inattention led to Sunday’s collision, the Bendigo Highway Patrol’s Ian Brooks said.

“Part of our investigation is into whether one of the drivers disobeyed the stop sign,” he said.

Senior Sergeant Brooks planned to meet and discuss intersection safety with representatives from the Campaspe Shire and Regional Roads Victoria.

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Mr Webb’s daughter Lainie Edwards witnessed both crashes and said Sunday’s collision was more serious than the first.

“It’s pretty scary,” she said.

Mrs Edwards called for safety upgrades like rumble strips and signage on both the Axedale-Toolleen Road and Cornella-Toolleen Road sides of the intersection.

Mrs Edwards said many of those people were from out of town and were unfamiliar with the roads.

She believed speed limits on Cornella-Toolleen Road near the hotel, general store, hall, and Uniting Church should drop by 20km.

“It’s an 80km zone leading up to that stop sign. That’s one of the main issues. It really should be 60km going past the hotel,” Mrs Edwards said.

Retired nurse Trudi McIntosh witnessed the first accident and provided first aid at the second.

She was concerned about other crashes at the intersection given how long it could take ambulances to arrive. Toolleen is 20km away from Heathcote and 42km from Bendigo.

“On any given day there’s someone who hits the breaks there at the last minute,” she said.

“There are children who alight at buses there and people who use the amenities over at the hall, then cross the road for the pub.”

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Ms McIntosh wanted faded line markings near stop signs to be improved, rumble strips, and speed reductions, including by 10 or 20km on the Northern Highway.

The calls came as traffic through the area increased, Mr Webb said.

In the 20 years he had been at the Toolleen Hotel Mr Webb estimated traffic volumes had “definitely more than doubled”.

“We’ve got all these vineyards out here, a wine festival over the mountain yesterday, that’s happening all the time. So there’s more people around,” Mr Webb said.

Senior Sergeant Brooks said the police review would examine what more could be done to highlight that motorists were approaching the intersection.

“But solutions have to be within what we could do,” he said.

Ultimately, it would be up to road safety engineers to determine any infrastructure improvements, Senior Sergeant Brooks said, but there was one thing he urged motorists to do to stay safe.

“It also comes down to people paying attention to their environment,” he said.

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