UPDATE, Thursday, 5pm: A 62-year-old Koroit man has died on Thursday in the Royal Melbourne Hospital, less than 24 hours after a head-on accident at Illowa on Wednesday.
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It is understood the man was on life support after being flown to Melbourne by the HEMS4 helicopter with severe head injuries.
Family members were by his side when he passed away.
He was the driver and sole occupant of one of the vehicles.
The occupants of the other vehicle, a New Zealand man in his 60s and two primary-school aged children, were transported to Warrnambool Base Hospital on Wednesday. But the man, who suffered head injuries, was later taken to The Alfred in Melbourne and on Thursday was in a stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. The two youngsters were transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital, a spokeswoman on Thursday said, and they were both in stable conditions.
Thursday, 9am: A 62-year-old Koroit man remains in a critical condition in the Royal Melbourne Hospital after an accident at Illowa on Wednesday afternoon.
He suffered life-threatening head injuries and was flown by the HEMS4 helicopter to Melbourne.
Police said he was travelling west when it’s believed he attempted to overtake a vehicle and was involved in a head-on collision with a maroon Nissan Pathfinder heading east.
Wednesday, 9.10pm: A spokeswoman from the the Royal Melbourne Hospital said the driver of a ute involved in a collision in Illowa earlier today was in a critical condition.
The Koroit man was airlifted to the hospital.
7.50pm: The Princes Highway has reopened after a head-on collision in Illowa just before 3pm.
6.30pm: Police are preparing to re-open the Princes Highway following a head-on collision in Illowa just before 3pm that has left a male in his 60s fighting for life.
SES crews have been assisting with the clean-up in an effort to reopen the highway.
Warrnambool SES rescue commander Tristan Forster said fifteen SES members responded to a callout on Wednesday afternoon.
“A single occupant in one of the vehicles was extensively trapped, requiring extracation using the jaws of life and heavy cutting and spreading equipment.
“The occupants of the second vehicle involved, which came to rest on its roof, were able to self-extracate before emergency services arrived.
“Crews remain on-scene assisting with the clean-up in an effort to reopen the highway.”
3.40pm: A man in his 60s involved in a serious crash on the Princes Highway is being flown to a Melbourne hospital in a life-threatening condition, an Ambulance Victoria spokesperson says.
Sergeant Pat Day, from Koroit Police, said the 62-year-old man in a blue ute was travelling west-bound when he attempted to overtake and struck a maroon Nissan Pathfinder heading east, causing it to roll.
The occupants of the Pathfinder, a man in his 60s and his two primary-school age grandchildren, have been taken to Warrnambool Base Hospital. The man suffered head injuries, while the children had no obvious signs of injury.
Sergeant Day said the Major Collision Unit would be investigating the scene, with the Princes Highway likely to remain closed for hours.
3.30pm: Police have warned motorists that the Princes Highway at Illowa is likely to be closed for hours after a head-on crash near the intersection of Sheens Road.
Senior Sergeant Corey Holland, from Warrnambool Highway Patrol, said the highway would remain blocked as police investigated the scene.
EARLIER: Emergency services are responding to a multi-vehicle crash on the Princes Highway at Illowa.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said one vehicle had rolled in the crash, at the intersection of Sheens Road, and a man was trapped in his car. His condition at this stage is unknown.
A man in his 50s-60s is being assessed at the scene with suspected head injuries. Three primary school-age children are out of a vehicle and walking around, the spokesperson said.
Police, ambulance and State Emergency Service members are at the scene.
The highway is closed between Southern Cross Road and Lake View Road.
More to come