A WOMAN has died after her car crashed into a truck at Killara on Thursday.
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Emergency services were called to the collision on the Murray Valley Highway, near Whytes Road, but were unable to save the 54-year-old Lavington woman.
Police are investigating how her white Toyota Corolla travelled onto the wrong side of the road and hit the oncoming truck.
Sergeant Paul Brady said the incident occurred about midday and was tragic for all involved.
“It’s confronting for all the people who attend,” he said.
“There were quite a few witnesses to the accident.
“They’re quite shocked by what’s occurred.
“It’s a very confronting scene.”
The road had to be closed for several hours with traffic diverted onto the Kiewa Valley Highway and Whytes Road.
The truck, which belongs to a Wodonga asphalting company, was carrying an earthmover at the time of the crash.
The driver was taken to Wodonga hospital with minor injuries.
Two drivers travelling behind the truck witnessed the incident and a third motorist behind the Toyota also saw the smash.
Sergeant Brady said the truck driver was “very shaken” by the ordeal.
“At this stage it’s being investigated by the Wodonga highway patrol,” he said.
“They’ll try to establish a cause of the incident.”
The major collision investigation unit was also contacted but did not attend.
“We want people to concentrate (on the roads),” Sergeant Brady said.
“I’m not preempting what caused this.
“But concentrate and take care when driving on our roads.”
The incident follows growing concern about the North East road toll.
Two people died in a head-on crash on the Beechworth-Wodonga Road at Wooragee in August.
The region’s top traffic policeman, Senior Sergeant Darren Wittingslow, had raised concerns earlier that month about the number of fatalities and serious injury crashes, which sat at 12 deaths at the time.
Those figures, which ran from January to July, had doubled the previous year’s tally.
A report will be prepared for the coroner after Thursday’s death.
About 10 police officers, a dozen firefighters and a dozen SES members attended the scene along with paramedics.