A tragic collision occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Eurambeen-Streatham Road and Mount William Road in Stoneleigh, just west of Ballarat. Emergency services rushed to the scene as a serious accident involving a family vehicle and a B-double truck unfolded.

According to police reports, it appears that a car carrying three generations of a family from Geelong allegedly ignored a stop sign, inadvertently entering the path of the oncoming truck. The impact was devastating, with the truck t-boning the car, causing it to spin multiple times before it finally came to a rest on its passenger side.

Tragically, the driver, a 41-year-old man, along with a 31-year-old female passenger and a three-year-old boy, lost their lives instantly. The heartbreaking loss of life underscores the fragility of the situation.

In a desperate bid for survival, a woman from the rear passenger seat was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital. She remains in critical condition, fighting life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash.

The truck driver, who sustained only minor injuries, was transported to Ballarat Base Hospital and is reported to be in a stable condition. Investigations are ongoing as authorities piece together the events leading up to this devastating accident.

The male truck driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital in a stable condition.

He lives locally to Stoneleigh and was returning the empty truck, which usually transports potatoes, back to the depot at the time of the crash.

He has been fully cooperative with police and had right of way on the road, police said.

The area has been cordoned off and the surrounding roads blocked as part of the emergency response.

Detective Inspector Craig McEvoy said there were warning signs hundreds of metres before the intersection.

“The truck driver is shaken as you’d expect, he’s with family and friends,” he said.

Speed is not believed to have played a part in the crash at this stage, McEvoy said.

“It’s a terrible scene,” he said.

McEvoy said “catastrophic injuries” and “significant damage to the car” meant police had been unable to move the deceased from the scene as of 3pm.