An elderly man is dead and his young granddaughter is fighting for her life in hospital after a horrific head-on collision near Kerang yesterday afternoon.The girl, believed to be 10 to 12 years old, was trapped in the vehicle for more than an hour after the van she was in collided with a truck travelling in the opposite direction on the Murray Valley Highway about 3.10pm.She is believed to have suffered mostly internal injuries and was airlifted to the Royal Children’s hospital in a critical condition.The 73-year-old driver, a German national who was visiting his family in Kerang, suffered serious injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.Police say he was travelling south towards Kerang when he veered across the northbound lane and struck a medium-rigid truck carrying empty water tankers.The truck driver, a 42-year-old man from Swan Hill, was treated for shock at the scene. The accident occurred in a 100km/h zone about 5km north of the town centre.Police believe the elderly man may have over-corrected the vehicle and they are investigating whether fatigue contributed to the collision.“For reasons unknown, the vehicle travelling south had crossed over onto the off carriage of the north bound lane,’’ police said.