Multi-car smash shuts Western Ring Road
Early morning crash involving a cattle truck and several cars leaves one woman in hospital and all southbound lanes of the Western Ring Road closed during peak hour. Courtesy Seven News Melbourne.
PT1M36S 620 349All lanes on the Western Ring Road have reopened after a horror crash involving a cattle truck and six cars left a woman fighting for her life in hospital.
The Altona-bound road was closed at 6.15am when the cattle truck and vehicles collided near the Boundary Road exit at Laverton North.
One of the cars involved, a Holden Barina, was left a mangled wreck.
The scene of the crash at Laverton North. Photo: Jesse Marlow
The occupant - a woman believed to be in her 60s - was trapped in the wreckage for nearly an hour.
She suffered head injuries and was flown by air ambulance to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition.
She remained in a critical condition at the hospital on Thursday evening.
A woman was trapped in the Holden Barina for an hour. Photo: Jesse Marlow
The cattle truck did not overturn and the animals were still in the trailer after the crash. It's not known if any cattle were severely injured.
The crash brought peak-hour traffic on the Western Ring Road to a halt.
At 8am, traffic was banked up for more than five kilometres along the Ring Road, from the Boundary Road exit at Laverton North to the Ballarat Road on-ramp at Ardeer.
The scene of the crash. Photo: JimmyTraffic
It was a slow crawl for city-bound motorists on the Deer Park Bypass, with traffic banking up for nearly 10 kilometres from Christies Road at Ravenhall.
The traffic chaos comes only two days after a lone protester, who threatened to set fire to a Glen Iris footbridge, forced the closure of the Monash Freeway.
Commuters, many of whom were returning to work after the Queen's Birthday long weekend, found all surrounding roads entirely congested.
Traffic was banked back for more than 5 kilometres on the Western Ring Road during peak hour. Photo: Craig Butt
Hundreds of motorists were left stranded, with some abandoning their trip to work and choosing to work from home or a coffee shop.
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