Road rage link to shocking Ring Road smash

Alex Oates   |  April 6th, 2012

GOOD Friday road rage is believed to be behind a horror smash that has left three members of the one family fighting for life.
A 26-year-old man was flown to Melbourne's The Alfred hospital with critical head injuries after being thrown from the front passenger seat of a Mitsubishi Pajero as it rolled several times on the Geelong Ring Road near Hamlyn Heights.
Also critically injured were his 27-year-old partner and their 11-month-old daughter.
A two-year-old boy received lacerations to his head and was in a stable condition in Geelong Hospital, where his mother and sister were last night being treated. The woman has been placed in an induced coma.
flown to Melbourne's Alfred hospital.
Police believe road rage, which unfolded for several kilometres after an incident at the start of the Geelong Ring Road at Lara, caused the crash.

"Two vehicles a Pajero and a white Ford have been travelling south on the Princes Freeway at Lara. When they've come to the Geelong Ring Road, they've divided and a verbal and hand-signal altercation has occurred between the two vehicles," Leading Senior Constable Jeff Smith of Geelong Highway Patrol said.

"Witnesses have told us that for some unknown reason the driver of the Pajero has gone off the road about 300m back (from the scene of the crash) and she's completely lost it, come back onto the road and gone off the road again and gone end-over-end.
"At this stage, we're unsure who's at fault.
"We're just urging people that if something happens on the road, just simply ignore it, stay in your own lane, drive your own way and make it a safe journey and that way you're not going to end up in a situation like these people have."
Debris from the wrecked 4WD, which was packed with a stroller, baby clothes and camping items, was strewn across the Ring Road.
The Ring Road was closed for more than five hours near Ballarat Rd following the accident and re-opened shortly after 5pm.
Sen-Constable Smith said police were searching for the driver of the white Ford, believed to be carrying two passengers.
He said investigators had ruled out the possibility the male driver of the Ford had driven away from the scene because he did not realise a crash had unfolded.
"I would say no to that because of the way the 4WD had acted once it started to roll," Sen Constable Smith said.
"It's gone end-over-end, up in the air and if he was looking in his rear-vision mirror he would have known the vehicle would have done that."
The crash continues a horror start to Easter on local roads.
Three people narrowly escaped serious injury when a station wagon and caravan rolled on the Ring Road at Fyansford on Thursday.
There was also a three-car collision on the Midland Highway near Bannockburn an hour later.
"It's astounded me. There's so many indications from the press, police have advertised all the road systems we have in place for Easter and people just drive like idiots," Sen-Constable Smith said.
"I can't understand why, we don't know why, but we'd like it to stop."
Police are yet to interview anyone involved in yesterday's accident. Anyone with information is urged to contact Geelong Highway Patrol on 5273 9545.
alex.oates@geelongadvertiser.com.au