At dusk on the highway, someone never made it home.

On the Western Highway in northwestern Victoria, the late afternoon carries people homeward, one set of headlights after another. At 6:45 on Sunday evening, near the intersection of Mount Drummond Road in Ledcourt, that homeward flow was broken by a collision. It was the tail end of a holiday period, when the roads are busy and the mind is already halfway home. Sometimes the road back is more fragile than we imagine.

Victoria Police say a car collided with two other vehicles on the Western Highway. Detective Acting Sergeant Leigh Miller of the Major Collision Investigation Unit described the sequence: the car struck the side of a truck, then collided with a third vehicle, another car. Two people inside that third vehicle died at the scene. Their identities have not yet been formally confirmed.

Four people were in the other car, including a young girl who was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. The other three received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. The truck driver was not injured and remained at the scene to assist investigators.

The crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, about 250 kilometers northwest of Melbourne. Miller noted that it was the end of a holiday period, and traffic was heavy with people returning home. Police do not yet know what caused the collision.

Detectives are examining whether factors such as fatigue, distraction, and speed played a role. The Major Collision Investigation Unit is leading the inquiry into the exact cause of the crash. The Western Highway was closed in both directions for several hours while detectives examined the scene, and reopened on Monday morning.

Police are urging anyone who witnessed the collision, or who has CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact Crime Stoppers. For now, two families are left with a loss that no investigation can undo.

Two people died and a young girl is fighting for life after a multi-vehicle crash on the Western Highway at Ledcourt on Sunday evening. Victoria Police's Major Collision Investigation Unit is investigating the cause and has appealed for witnesses.

AI Image Disclaimer: The images accompanying this article are generated by artificial intelligence and are intended for illustrative purposes only. They do not depict the actual scene or individuals involved.

Sources: ABC News, Nine, Victoria Police, Mirage News