Pile up in smog

By Kath Gannaway
FREAK conditions have been blamed for a three car pile-up on the Yarra Glen-Healesville Road last week.
Smoke from hay bales being burnt at a vineyard to combat frost, merged with fog instead, creating a wall of smog witnesses told the Mail reduced visibility to as little as a metre.
Healesville man Glenn Wisiewski, the driver of the second car in the pile-up, was lucky to escape injury when his car was demolished by a small truck.
Mr Wisiewski was heading towards Yarra Glen at about 6.30am when he said he came over a hill and was confronted by what he thought at first was fog.
“It was just there in front of me when I came around the bend.”
Mr Wisiewski said he slowed but hit the car in front of him.
“As soon as I hit him I thought the people behind me are going to do the same thing and I just jumped out of the car.”
He was right. The truck following him hit his VT Callais ending up with the front wheels in the back seat.
Healesville SES assistant controller Geoff Stott said the smog was so thick he could hear voices but not see the people.
He said Mr Wisiewski had a lucky escape. “His car was virtually turned into a utility. If anyone had been in the back seat they would have died.”
Yarra Glen CFA captain John Sutton described the smog as impenetrable.
“I’ve lived her all my life and never seen anything that thick,” he said. “We had our trucks parked 10 feet away and couldn’t see them.”
Senior Sergeant Bob Raymaakers told the Mail while a penalty notice had been issued to the third driver for following too close, no other charges would be laid.
He said it was a reminder to drivers that they must drive to road conditions. “Drivers must look not only at the driving conditions but at environmental conditions as well,” he said.
The Shire of Yarra Ranges told the Mail the incident was reported to it but that burning hay bales didn’t breach any local laws.
The Mail has contacted a number of wineries around the area but has been unable to establish where the smoke originated.