UPDATE: A Camperdown man was flown to a Melbourne hospital in a critical condition after the car he was a passenger in hit a tree on the Great Ocean Road near Peterborough just before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
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Warrnambool police said the Ford XR6, driven by an 18-year-old Cobden man, was travelling at “excessive speed” and lost control on a left-hand bend near Old Peterborough Road, hitting a letterbox before it struck a large tree on the passenger side about 11.20pm.
A police spokesman said the 20-year-old male passenger, who suffered cuts to his face and a dislocated elbow, was trapped in the car for more than 40 minutes before being freed by State Emergency Services crews.
He was put into an induced coma and flown to The Alfred hospital.
The police spokesman said the driver suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung but was able to get himself out of the vehicle which was “absolutely destroyed” in the crash. He was taken to Warrnambool Base Hospital.
Police said the car was unroadworthy and the tyres had lumps of rubber missing and pieces of metal sticking out.
“It was a sweeping left-hand bend that was very typical of the area and people need to take care because if they fall off the road they will hit a tree,” the spokesman said.
“Police are continually disappointed that inexperienced drivers put their own lives and the lives of others at risk due to atrocious driving.”
He said witnesses reported there may have been another car travelling in convoy with the Ford, but left the scene before police arrived.
That driver has been asked to contact the Warrnambool station on 5560 1333 and ask for Leading Senior Constable Jason Barker.
EARLIER: An 18-year-old Cobden man was taken to Warrnambool Base Hospital after his car lost control on the Great Ocean Road near Dances Road at about 11.20pm on Monday night.
Warrnambool police said the single car lost control on a left-hand bend and hit a letterbox before it struck a large tree on the passenger side.
Police said the Cobden man was trapped in the vehicle but removed by State Emergency Services and taken to Warrnambool Base Hospital. The passenger, a 22-year-old man Melbourne man, was flown to the Alfred Hospital.
Police are investigating whether speed and alcohol were factors in the accident.
