All citybound lanes of the Calder Freeway are now closed at Bulla-Diggers Rest Road (35km from Melbourne), following an incident where a grain truck collided with several vehicles on the Calder Freeway at the Diggers Rest-Bulla Rd overpass on Monday afternoon around 2:30pm.
Motorists have been advised to avoid the area and allow for extra travel time. Motorists are being asked to exit and immediately re-enter the freeway via the exit and entry ramps.
A two-year-old girl, who is believed to have been in the rear passenger seat of one of the vehicles involved, died at the scene. The infant’s mother, father and another child were all taken to hospital with serious-to-critical injuries.
The driver of another car was also injured, while two people in another vehicle escaped serious injury. Further people had also been assessed at the scene but were not taken to hospital.
Detective Sergeant Mark Amos from the Major Collision Investigation Unit said the truck driver was in now custody while police continued investigating the incident.
Update – 2:05pm: The 42-year-old truck driver who was questioned by police was released today, pending further inquiries.