A 47-year-old truck driver is lucky to alive after crashed prime mover destroyed by fire

Acting Sergeant Nathan Cashion, of the Portland police highway patrol unit, said the fully laden truck carrying canola caught fire after crashing into a tree on the Princes Highway near Heathmere about 2pm on Tuesday.

A 47-year-old South Australian driver was transported to the Portland Base Hospital by ambulance before later that night being flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne.

Police investigators were told a truck was travelling south on the Princes Highway when it veered onto the wrong side of the road, struck a tree and caught fire.

Acting Sergeant Cashion said the cause of the single-vehicle collision was still being investigated.

"The driver was initially trapped but a passerby went to his assistance," he said.

"The good Samaritan couldn't get the driver out the driver's side but was able to extricate him out the passenger side of the prime mover."

The highway patrol officer said the cabin and prime mover were fully engulfed in flames and destroyed.

"After being removed from the truck other members of the public provided care to the truck driver until the ambulance officers and Country Fire Authority members arrived.

"The driver suffered two broken ribs and internal bruising which led to him being flown to The Alfred later that night.

"The collision happened in a 100km/h zone. The cause of the collision is yet to be determined," he said.

A CFA media spokesperson said eight appliances helped bring the fire under control in 15 minutes.

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