Karen Ash experienced the longest night of her life when she received a phone call saying that her son, his partner and her two grandchildren had been in a car accident at Bostocks Creek, near Cobden.

Robert Ash and his partner Danielle Carse took two of their three children to Lake Purrumbete for a day of fishing in July this year.

The family decided to get takeaway food for dinner at the local roadhouse.

Mr Ash, who was driving, failed to see a 'give way' sign and was t-boned by an oncoming Isuzu ute on County Boundary Road, Bostocks Creek.

Jai, the couple's 17-year-old son was trapped in the vehicle. Emergency service personnel arrived at the scene and freed him.

He was unconscious and paramedics treated him at the scene for an hour before he was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Mr Ash suffered serious bruising and Lydia, 15, fractured her pelvis. They were flown to the Geelong hospital.

Mrs Ash received a frantic call from her daughter Jade, who had joined the family for the fishing trip.

"I said 'well what do you want me to do? Do you want us to come down?'"

Her daughter told her to stay put until she knew more.

"It was scary - it was the longest night waiting to hear more," Mrs Ash said.

Jai was put into an induced coma and had to have fluid drained from around his lungs.

Mr Ash stayed in overnight, while Lydia stayed in hospital for a week before returning home.

She is slowly starting to walk without crutches.

Ms Carse returned home to Geelong last week, while Jai remains in hospital in Melbourne.

He had surgery to repair a torn diaphragm and is suffering from amnesia.

Mrs Ash said it would be a long road to recovery for her grandson.

But she knows she is lucky none of the crash victims died that night.

"They were very, very lucky," Mrs Ash said.

"Please take care when you're on the road. You can never be too careful."

Mrs Ash said her son was going to write to VicRoads to ask them to make changes to the intersection.

He didn't see the give way sign and has spoken to a number of other people who have raised similar concerns.

Mrs Ash shared her story to mark Rural Road Safety Month.

The Australian Road Safety Foundation has urged rural road users to take care, with rural road fatalities making up two thirds of last year's national road toll.

ARSF founder and chief executive officer Russell White said every Australian driver, whether city or regional based, must take ownership of their role in reducing the rural road toll.

"Despite smaller population numbers, 835 people tragically lost their lives on regional roads last year, which shows that just one dangerous choice can have dire consequences," Mr White said.

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