Man airlifted after car crashed at height of Harcourt North fire

POLICE are investigating whether a fire truck inadvertently triggered a car crash in Sutton Grange this afternoon.

A 31-year-old male was travelling east along Heathcote-Sutton Grange Road when fire trucks passed his car in the opposite direction, Leading Senior Constable Brendan Keegan said.

"The gentleman's moved over to the site of the road to let the fire trucks through and he's gone a little bit wide," he said.

"He's clipped a culvert and flipped his car."

The man was trapped in the vehicle for about one hour as emergency crews drilled a hole in the roof and extracted him.

He was conscious and breathing during that period.

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The man has now been airlifted to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital with lower body injuries.

"I'd say, as far as his condition goes, that it is probably serious but not life-threatening," Leading Senior Constable Keegan said.

Police are checking to make sure firefighters handled the situation correctly. A CFA investigation unit is running a parallel review.

There is currently no indication that the truck had pushed the car off of the road or collided with it, Leading Senior Constable Keegan said.

"Obviously, they were responding to a fire," he said.

Firefighters may not even have noticed the car crash.

The incident took place close to a bend in the road and the truck may have turned down it by the time the car flipped, Leading Senior Constable Keegan said.

A witness has told police they had passed the fire trucks before seeing the crashed car.

As many as 27 crews were called to the scene of a nearby fire in Harcourt North in the period when the crash took place.

The fire has since been brought under control.

Initial reports from the scene suggested a second person may have been injured in the crash but police have confirmed that that was not the case.

3.48pm

AN SES crew has removed a man from a car after it rolled this afternoon.

Paramedics are preparing to transport the man via an air ambulance, which is currently stationed at the scene.

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Crews drilled a hole in the roof so they could extricate the man during their careful operation.

Heathcote-Southern Grange Road remains closed in both directions.

Police and CFA investigators are on the scene.

3.05pm

EMERGENCY crews are attempting to extricate a male involved in a car crash near Harcourt.

The crash appears to have involved one vehicle, which is currently lying on its side in a ditch on Harcourt-Sutton Grange Road.

SES volunteers from Castlemaine are cutting into the car's roof in an attempt to make enough space for the extrication to take place.

Earlier reports suggested that paramedics were treating two people at the scene.

The latest on the nearby fire: More than 20 crews battling grass fire in Harcourt North

It is unclear whether a second person is currently being treated. Information is still coming to hand on exactly who is being treated at the scene.

Police, CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria officers are also on scene.

Earlier

A VEHICLE has rolled near Harcourt as nearby firefighters battle a separate fire in the area.

Paramedics are assessing two people at the scene and have called for an air ambulance.

It is not clear if any fire crews have been diverted from the fire ground into an area of Sutton Grange bordering Harcourt.

A total of four fire crews have been called to the scene of the crash.

More news: More than 20 crews battling grass fire in Harcourt North

The incident is understood to be taking place on Harcourt-Sutton Grange Road, near the intersection with Richards Road.

The fire is taking place north of Harcourt.

More to come.

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