News / Emergency
Woman in hospital after horror smash in Brunswick West
A man was charged on Sunday night with several traffic offences
Brunswick Voice
UPDATED: Monday, March 25, 2024
THE intersection where a three-car collision has left a Brunswick woman fighting for her life is a known accident site that Merri-bek Council last year asked the state government to make safer.
A 49-year woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries following the collision at the intersection of Melville Road and Albion Street on Saturday morning.
She was initially trapped inside her Honda Accord before being rushed to hospital following what police have described as a hit-run incident.
A 31-year-old Laverton man made a brief court appearance on Sunday night and has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, reckless driving causing serious injury, failing to render assistance, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and other traffic-related offences.
He was due to appear in court again on Monday morning.
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Police allege the man, who was driving a Toyota Crown, ran from the scene of the accident and was apprehended by members of the public nearby. They held him on the footpath until police arrived.
He was transported to hospital under police guard and was discharged into police custody on Sunday morning.
The driver of the third car, a 34-year-old Strathmore woman, was not injured although her car was also damaged.
CCTV footage aired on Nine News showed the Toyota heading south allegedly running a red light in Melville Road and smashing into the driver’s side of the Honda.
Both cars came to a rest on the western side of Melville Road. Debris from the collision was scattered nearby.
Advanced Life Support and Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance paramedics attended the scene to treat upper and lower body injuries.
She was transported by road to the Royal Melbourne Hospital where she remained in a critical condition on Monday.
Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives were at the scene soon after the collision.
The intersection of Albion Street and Melville Road has a high accident rate.
A report prepared for a Merri-bek Council meeting last October noted that there had been eight crashes at the intersection in five years), often caused by drivers failing to stop at a red traffic light.
The meeting resolved to ask the Department of Transport and Planning to investigate opportunities to improve the visibility of the intersection from all four approaches.
This could include relocating traffic signal displays or providing advanced warning signs that drivers were approaching an intersection.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV/dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
