Four men were lucky to survive after a collision involving the deadly combination of speed, alcohol and the failure to wear seatbelts at the weekend.
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South-west police road safety adviser Acting Senior Sergeant Greg Cressall said the driver had tested positive in a preliminary breath test and police would wait on the results of a hospital blood test.
He said the vehicle was travelling south-west on Kirrae Road at Framlingham, the driver lost control, the wagon skidded for 50 metres on the incorrect side of the road, left the road surface, skidded for another 70m before colliding with a power pole.
None of the four men in the vehicle were wearing seatbelts.
A backseat passenger was ejected out the front windscreen, while another man was also thrown out of the vehicle.
The driver was trapped, suffered head injuries, and was taken by road ambulance to the Warrnambool Base Hospital in a non life-threatening condition.
Another man was flown to Melbourne's The Alfred Hospital on the HEMS4 in a life-threatening condition suffering multiple fractures.
His condition was later downgraded to serious.
The accident highlighted statewide police Operation Scoreboard in the south-west which resulted in 120 offences being detected, including eight drug or alcohol impaired drivers.
There were 1654 preliminary tests conducted across the south-west, taking in Southern Grampians, Glenelg, Warrnambool, Moyne and Corangamite council areas.
Acting Sergeant Cressall said impaired driving and speed were highlighted in the Framlingham accident.
"They are always areas of concern for us because those factors so often lead to serious road trauma, including fatalities," he said.
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"We've had great local success in the past couple of months being flexible with our rostering, both uniform and highway patrol members, and a lot of the time working together.
"We've had highway patrol night shift from 11pm to 7am."
Acting Senior Sergeant Cressall said drivers out and about at night were an even greater chance to be pulled over for a random intercept and be alcohol or drug tested.
"Those times of high alcohol consumption are a focus," he said.
The adviser said a number of local operations were planned in coming weeks, with the next statewide police focus Operation Furlong to coincide with the Melbourne Cup between November 1 and 5.
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