Police are appealing for witnesses after a truck driver was injured on the Western Freeway when a chunk of concrete came through his windscreen.
The 50-year-old driver from Invermay, Jim Pollock, was driving a white Isuzu tilt truck and towing machinery on his usual route from Ballarat to Melbourne at about 6.10am on Tuesday morning when the incident occurred.
When Pollock approached an overhead walking bridge, a piece of concrete struck the driver’s side of the windscreen. It hit him in the chest and landed in his lap.
He was able to pull over and call police, and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was lucky to escape with only bruises to his chest.
Pollock says the concrete rock was just inches from hitting him in the face.
The Herald Sun reports that he was travelling at 100km/h and his injuries could have been much worse.
“It was 6am in the morning, so it was very dark here and I didn’t see it coming at all,” Pollock told the Herald Sun.
“It would only have had to come up another three inches and it would’ve hit me in the face, which is pretty scary,” he said.
“I was just leaving to go down to Melbourne and I pulled out of the workshop, and 10 minutes into the drive on the highway this big lump of concrete hit the windscreen.
“That’s when all hell broke loose. It went off with a real bloody bang.”
Ballarat Crime Investigation Unit detectives are appealing for public assistance. Investigators are keen to speak to any witnesses or anyone that may have been in the area at the time of the incident.
Anyone that may have dashcam footage or anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
