Two dead as truck veers into house near Warrnambool in Victoria's ...
An elderly couple has been killed in their bedroom after a truck hit their home at Tower Hill in south-west Victoria this morning.
Police have confirmed retired farmers Jim Madden, 81, and his wife, Carmel, 80, were in their home, west of Warrnambool, when the truck veered off the Princes Highway and crashed just after 7am.
One of them was asleep in bed at the time.
The driver and sole occupant of the truck, a 70-year-old man from Portland in western Victoria, was taken to Warrnambool Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Major Collision Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant Stephen Hill said the tipper truck, travelling east, skidded up to 250 metres through a paddock before smashing into the house.
"Tragically the truck has gone through the front bedroom area of the house," Sergeant Hill said.
Carol and Jim Maddern were well known in the area. (Supplied: The Weekly Times)
Sergeant Hill said the truck was travelling in a 100 kilometres per hour zone and had not lost much speed when it struck the house.
"It's a pretty dead straight road, there's no reason for vehicles to swerve unless they are overtaking but how and why and what was going on inside the truck that caused this collision is something we will just have to look at over time," he said.
Police will look into whether a mechanical fault with the truck, driver distraction, or a medical episode were involved.
Sargeant Stephen Hill from the Major Collisions Investigation Unit stands in front of the scene of the crash. (ABC News: Jean Bell)
Peter Archibald, who owns the Koroit Hotel, north of Tower Hill, said he had known Jim Madden his entire life.
"Jim had his 80th birthday here, his wife had her 80th birthday here. They were here last Friday night for dinner," Mr Archibald said.
"It's a small town ... They have a lot of relations here."
Country Fire Authority Commander David Ferguson said it was a severe crash.
"I think the truck's hit the house pretty hard … so [it] could be a difficult incident scene for quite a while," he said.
Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives were investigating and said the accident occurred on a straight stretch of the road.
The Department of Transport has confirmed Commercial Road through Koroit is being used for diversions.
Musician Richard Crawley, who lives at Tower Hill, said he had been trying to get home from Port Fairy when he was diverted by police shortly after the incident.
Emergency services at Tower Hill, where a truck has left the Princes Highway and hit a house. (Supplied Richard Crawley)
He said the accident looked like it had occurred between Rocks Road and Gormans Road on the Princes Highway.
Mr Crawley said traffic was being diverted around Tower Hill, up Lake View Drive, through Koroit.
"The accident looks very bad. There are lots of emergency vehicles there. There is a chopper in the sky," he said.
Police have closed the Princes Highway at Tower Hill between Warrnambool and Port Fairy. (ABC News: Matt Neal)
