Two crashes happened within minutes of each other on the same stretch of a south-west highway on Sunday night as livestock roamed the road.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Warrnambool police sergeant James van Engelen said a woman was driving east along the Princes Highway in Rosebrook about 11.10pm on December 17, 2023, when she hit a cow that was on the road.
Sergeant van Engelen said the 41-year-old Koroit woman suffered minor injuries.
"A short time later, another car was driving in the same area and there were three cows on the road," he said.
"They hit one of the cows but the car was minimally damaged. The driver had no injuries."
An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said the driver involved in the first incident was taken to South West Healthcare in Warrnambool in a stable condition with upper and lower body injuries.
The Country Fire Authority also attended both incidents.
The Standard reported in February 2023, several people were taken to hospital after two vehicles crashed on a highway in Mortlake while attempting to avoid koalas.
The VicRoads website said each year many crashes involved animals being on the road.
"If you see an animal on the road (alive or dead), do not swerve violently to avoid the animal as this can cause you to lose control of your vehicle or to hit oncoming traffic," the website said.
It said when a stop sign was displayed at a stock crossing, motorists must stop before reaching the crossing and not start driving again until all animals have crossed the road.
The website further stated when a give way to stock sign was displayed, motorists must slow down to a speed where they could give way or stop if necessary to avoid hitting an animal.
The website said motorists should stop if they could do so safely or slow down and steer around the animal in a controlled manner:
- If you can't avoid the animal safely you may have to hit it to avoid injury or death to yourself and others
- If the animal has been killed, remove it from the road if it is safe to do so. Be careful with native animals as they may have babies in their pouches
- If a native animal has been hurt you should contact the Wildlife Victoria
- If the animal is a domestic pet, you should contact the owner, police or the RSPCA
- If the animal is injured you should take it immediately to the nearest animal shelter or vet
Lillian Altman
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
