A man has handed himself into police over a fiery smash which seriously injured two grey nomads near Mansfield in Victoria yesterday.
Police have confirmed a 37-year-old man from Wharparilla, on the Victoria/NSW border, surrendered himself this morning.
He is currently assisting with the investigation.
The injured couple, aged 71 and 73, from Weir Views were towing a caravan when their Subaru Forester was reportedly run off Mansfield-Woods Point Road in Mansfield by an overtaking black Toyota LandCruiser.
The driver of the LandCruiser did not stop to assist.
The grandparents were seriously injured after both their car and caravan burst into flames. It took firefighters 45 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
The injured couple were flown to a Melbourne hospital for treatment.
The Herald-Sun reports that the couple’s beloved cat, Missy, was in the car at the time of the incident and escaped the carnage. She is yet to be found.
A woman who said on Facebook she was the victims’ granddaughter asked others to be on the lookout for the missing moggy.
“She’s a friendly cat but I imagine she would be very scared after everything that has happened today,” she said. “She’s so loved and it would be a miracle to find her and reunite them during this difficult time.”
Scott Purcell, who ran to the couple’s aid after he noticed smoke billowing from the front of his farm, said the country road was frequented by tourists unfamiliar with the conditions.
“A lot of people overtake in dumb spots and this is what happens,” he told the Herald-Sun.
Police have revealed the Land Cruiser was seen overtaking up to eight cars prior to the incident.
I fitted a rear-facing camera to my caravan a year ago. We were coming home from NSW and climbing a gentle hill with a left-hand curve. I spotted a car coming up behind us at high speed. A car was coming down the hill and the driver behind me could not see it past my caravan. I anticipated his overtaking maneuver and hit the brakes hard slowing as quickly as possible as he was passing. It was a close shave with the car coming down the hill slowing and running into the dirt to make room. My car tows the van at highway speed with no problem and we were close to the speed limit when he passed. Caravans seem to drive some motorists crazy and they will take incredible risks to pass. I hope the injured couple recover and they find the cat.