Students safe after van flips

The van crashed on a notorious stretch of the Maroondah Highway near Healesville. 143623 Picture: JESSE GRAHAM

By JESSE GRAHAM

FRENCH students will be spending the afternoon shaken but uninjured after flipping their rental van near the Black Spur earlier today.

The van, which was full of French students, rolled on to its roof, about noon today on the Maroondah Highway at Healesville, a few kilometres out of town.

Healesville police Leading Senior Constable Chris Grasby said the van was Healesville-bound when it lost control on the corner and went up an embankment on the left of the road, flipping the van on to its roof.

“They’ve lost it on the corner, she’s rolled on to the roof and slid down on to the embankment, on to the roof,” Leading Sen Const Grasby said.

The car flipped on an embankment near a dangerous stretch of the Maroondah Highway, Picture: JESSE GRAHAM
The car flipped on an embankment near a dangerous stretch of the Maroondah Highway, Picture: JESSE GRAHAM

Despite the van being extensively damaged in the crash, Leading Sen Const Grasby said no-one was injured in the crash, though an ambulance was called out to the scene.

Cars were stopped in both directions while emergency services cleared the scene of the crash, but traffic is now flowing.

“The CFA are coming up, they’ll give it a squirt down, put some sawdust down and we’re out of here,” Leading Sen Const Grasby told the Mail, about 12.45pm.

The roads were wet at the time of the crash, and the area was covered in mild fog, but police did not speculate on the cause of the crash.

The stretch of the road, near the water-tanks about five kilometres out of town, is notorious for crashes and cars slipping off of the road, particularly in wet weather.

Police believe the van went up the embankment before it rolled onto its roof. No-one was injured. Picture: JESSE GRAHAM
Police believe the van went up the embankment before it rolled onto its roof. No-one was injured. Picture: JESSE GRAHAM