Tourists beckoning a dog to cross a major road at Mepunga on Sunday led to a motorbike crash that killed the animal, however police say the rider was lucky to sustain only minor injuries.
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Sergeant Tom Morris, of Warrnambool police, said the 55-year-old man was travelling about 80 km/h when he hit the dog.
The impact of the collision sent the rider sliding sideways along the ground for between 30 to 40 metres.
“He’s very lucky to be walking away or at least only have minor injuries,” Sergeant Morris said.
The Timboon motorcyclist was riding east on the Great Ocean Road near Mepunga West when the accident happened about 12.40pm.
He was taken to Warrnambool Base Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
Sergeant Morris said the tourists had pulled over on the Great Ocean Road at Mepunga West near the intersection with Wiltons Road.
“The tourists had stopped on the side of the road encouraged a dog to come from a property across the road and the dog wandered on to the road,” he said.
Sergeant Morris said the dog was killed instantly.
He said the owner of the dog arrived on scene shortly after.
The bike sustained moderate damage and had to be towed from the scene.
The incident was still being investigated by police officers.
Sunday’s accident was the third in the south-west this month involving a motorbike. On February 9, a motorcyclist and his pillion passenger were critically injured in a crash with a tourist mini-bus on the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell.
A few days earlier a motorcyclist died after a crash on the Princes Highway at Warncoort.