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Traffic chaos after fatal peak-hour crash on Princes Freeway

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Motorists are still facing traffic gridlock on the Princes Freeway, almost seven hours after a deadly crash involving five cars and a truck on Thursday.

Traffic chaos hit peak-hour commuters after one person was killed and another seriously injured in the crash, near Forsyth Road in Point Cook, about 2.45pm.

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Fatality in Princes Freeway pile-up

A crash involving five cars and a truck near Point Cook has caused one fatality and continued traffic chaos. Vision courtesy Seven News Melbourne

The crash forced the closure of all outbound lanes of the freeway from Palmers Road, seeing traffic bank back to the West Gate Bridge through the Domain Tunnel.

At 9.45pm, traffic on the freeway was still heavy on the West Gate Bridge. 

Traffic was slowly starting to flow more easily closer to the CBD, but remains heavy beyond Kororoit Creek Road in Altona.

Earlier, VicRoads advised commuters to consider leaving their car at work and taking public transport. 

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Traffic slowed to a crawl for about 22 kilometres, with outbound delays back over the West Gate Bridge and through the Domain Tunnel.

About 5.30pm there was a second crash, on the West Gate Bridge, which caused the closure of two outbound lanes.

At least three cars were involved in the crash at the top of the bridge, but no one were seriously injured. That crash has since been cleared.

A driver of one of the cars involved in the crash on the Princes Freeway died at the scene.

A front passenger from the same vehicle - a woman believed to be in her 30s - was trapped inside the car for about an hour.

She was freed by firefighters and then flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious condition, with a head injury.

Paramedics assessed 13 other people at the scene, but none needed hospital treatment.

The crash forced the closure of all outbound lanes on the Princes Freeway from Palmers Road.

The circumstances surrounding the crash are not yet clear.

It was the second serious crash involving a truck on Thursday, after a man was hit on the side of the Calder Freeway near Woodend.

The man stopped his car on the side of the freeway, between Bawden and Quarry roads, when it ran out of petrol about 1.55pm.

The driver stepped out of his car and was filling up the tank when a small truck "clipped" him.

The truck continued driving south on the freeway. The man, a 25-year-old from Pascoe Vale South, suffered leg injuries and was flown to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition.

Police are investigating and say the driver of the truck is yet to be identified. The truck is described as a 4.5 tonne Curtainside or Tautliner.

Anyone with information on either collision can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.