Photo: MatrixNews.com.au
One female driver had a very close brush with death, when an overhead road sign fell on top of her Hyundai Santa Fe and crushed it as she was speeding underneath. It happened in Melbourne, Australia.
Footage of the incident was captured by a dashcam in a vehicle traveling behind the Hyundai and made public by Nine News Australia. Authorities are now investigating to determine the causes of the incident, the media outlet notes.
The Santa Fe was traveling down the Tullamarine Freeway towards one of the busiest shopping areas around and the Essedon Airport, at 5.30 in the afternoon. Without any warning signs, the large chunk of metal came loose and fell on the freeway, flipping and landing on top of the SUV. Before landing on the roof of the car, it hit the hood, right in front of the driver.
The same media outlet notes that the driver is a woman. As you can see in the video at the bottom of the page, there was nothing she could have done to prevent or lessen the force of the impact. You can see she tried to steer out of the way but was unsuccessful.
Emergency responders found the woman conscious and complaining of neck pain, when they arrived at the scene. She was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in stable condition, and received treatment for arm and neck injuries. She is expected to make a full recovery – and to be discarded soon.
According to the same media outlet, that sign, along with many others, was put up just last year. Right now, authorities are working with the firm that set them up to determine the causes of the incident, while inspecting nearby signs.
“Safety is of paramount importance to us and we will continue to work in collaboration with VicRoads, Major Road Projects Victoria and CPB Contactors (the installers of the sign) as part of the investigation,” a spokesperson for Transurban says.
The Santa Fe was traveling down the Tullamarine Freeway towards one of the busiest shopping areas around and the Essedon Airport, at 5.30 in the afternoon. Without any warning signs, the large chunk of metal came loose and fell on the freeway, flipping and landing on top of the SUV. Before landing on the roof of the car, it hit the hood, right in front of the driver.
The same media outlet notes that the driver is a woman. As you can see in the video at the bottom of the page, there was nothing she could have done to prevent or lessen the force of the impact. You can see she tried to steer out of the way but was unsuccessful.
Emergency responders found the woman conscious and complaining of neck pain, when they arrived at the scene. She was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in stable condition, and received treatment for arm and neck injuries. She is expected to make a full recovery – and to be discarded soon.
According to the same media outlet, that sign, along with many others, was put up just last year. Right now, authorities are working with the firm that set them up to determine the causes of the incident, while inspecting nearby signs.
“Safety is of paramount importance to us and we will continue to work in collaboration with VicRoads, Major Road Projects Victoria and CPB Contactors (the installers of the sign) as part of the investigation,” a spokesperson for Transurban says.
JUST IN: Nine has obtained exclusive vision of the moment a freeway sign came loose in Melbourne, crushing a passing car and injuring the woman behind the wheel. @LanaMurphy #9News pic.twitter.com/fTcbAZu3ss
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) January 9, 2019
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