Three Injured In High Speed Pileup On Hume Highway, Traffic Halted Outside Melbourne Suburbs

Melbourne, Australia— Traffic stopped cold on the Hume Highway just north of the city after a multi-vehicle collision smashed across three northbound lanes, leaving three people injured and the freeway shut for hours.

The crash happened around 10:15 a.m. near Craigieburn. Victoria Police said at least four vehicles were involved, including a ute, two sedans, and a delivery van. One car rolled after impact. Debris was spread over 150 meters.

Paramedics treated three patients at the scene. Two were taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with what were described as serious but stable injuries. A third was taken to Northern Hospital with minor injuries. No one was trapped for long, but crews had to cut one door to reach a driver.

Witnesses said traffic was heavy and fast before the impact. One driver told police the van braked suddenly and vehicles behind could not stop in time. That account has not been confirmed. Speed and following distance are being examined.

"We arrived to cars facing every direction," a paramedic supervisor said. "Fuel on the road, people out and shaken. It could have been worse."

The highway was fully closed northbound for almost three hours. Southbound was reduced to one lane. Motorists were diverted onto Sydney Road. The queue stretched back more than 6 kilometers. Tow trucks needed two trips to clear the wreckage.

Major Collision Investigation Unit officers measured skid marks and collected dashcam footage. The road surface was dry. There were no reports of roadworks in that section at the time. Blood samples were taken as routine procedure.

The crash came at the end of a wet week that had already seen several serious incidents on the same corridor. Transport Victoria had flagged increased freight movement ahead of the weekend.

All lanes reopened just after 1:30 p.m. Police are asking anyone with footage to come forward. The investigation remains open.