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May 17th, 2013 
A SECTION of the Tullamarine Freeway will remain closed into the evening peak after a dramatic smash this morning that has left a truck driver critically injured.
CityLink said inbound lanes between Flemington Rd and Footscray Rd would stay shut throughout peak hour as police tried to reconstruct the crash on the road above Macaulay Rd, North Melbourne, near the Bolte Bridge.
Motorists can access the Bolte Bridge at Footscray Rd but the city-bound entry at Racecourse Rd remains closed.
All lanes outbound over the Bolte Bridge are open but CityLink has warned drivers to expect delays.
VicRoads said all traffic was being diverted from the Flemington Rd inbound ramp. The Moreland Rd approach to the freeway was also experiencing heavy delays as commuters scrambled to find a way out of the gridlock.
“Drivers travelling through the area are advised to seek an alternate route,” VicRoads spokesman Travers Purton said.
Several cranes and a remote control drone helped remove the “tipper and dog” truck from the bridge.
A crane lifts the truck back onto the freeway. Picture: Nicole Garmston
The driver remained in a critical condition after he was thrown from his side-window and fell 20m from the Tullamarine Freeway onto the road below.
The man, aged in his 30s, may have swerved to avoid a car that suddenly veered in front of him before his truck twisted and flipped while travelling inbound just before 6.30am.
He was in the Royal Melbourne Hospital with severe head and pelvic injuries.
A crane is being used to remove the truck from the freeway. Picture: Nicole Garmston
The driver of the car, a man aged in his 20s, was in a stable condition at the Alfred Hospital.
All inbound CityLink lanes from Flemington Rd have been closed since 7am.
CityLink spokeswoman Selby-Lynn Nicholas said there were traffic delays back to Bell St, 5km away.
Emergency crews work to secure the truck. Picture: Oorloff Norm
All surrounding roads are also heavily affected.
There are minor delays outbound over the Bolte Bridge.
The MFB said this morning it would “take hours” to clear the freeway.
Paramedics attend to the truck driver where he landed 20m below the freeway. Picture: Garmston Nicole
Trains are being replaced by buses between North Melbourne and Coburg on the Upfield line while the recovery operation continues.
Onlookers have been given face masks after the truck clipped a building containing asbestos, 3AW radio reported.
Scroll down for more details of latest traffic conditions
The scene of the crash.
MFB Assistant Chief Officer Adam Dalrymple said: “From all reports the car veered across and the truck took some evasive action and that’s how the incident began.
“It’s a pretty intense, horrific sort of incident.”
Michael O’Keeffe, of Doncaster East, was on his way to work in Hopper’s Crossing when he witnessed the accident.
He said the truck clipped the car and shot left into the barrier before rolling onto its side with its wheels hanging over the edge.
The freeway closure has caused havoc for motorists. Picture: Norm Oorloff
“The driver came out of the driver’s side window and fell about 15 storeys down and was lying in a heap,” Mr O’Keeffe said.
“I pulled the car up and ran over to see the truck hanging vertically downward and teetering off the edge of the overpass.
“We approached the cabin and saw that the driver was no longer in the vehicle and that he had fallen off the edge.
The truck reportedly clipped this silver car. Picture: Mark Stewart
“We were careful to get too close because we weren’t sure whether the truck might fall off at any point. Two men below me on the bridge were helping him before the ambulance arrived and I saw him move his leg.
“There was diesel pouring out of the fuel tank over the side of the bridge.
“It’s pretty amazing that the driver is still alive. The gouge out of the bridge is about half a length of the car, lucky there were concrete barriers or the truck would have flung off the side of the bridge.”
A man who was the first to help the truck driver comforted him until paramedics arrived.
The man, who works at a local factory and wanted to remain anonymous, heard the crash and found the truck driver on Mark St, 3AW reported.
He said it appeared a street light may have broken the driver’s fall.
The man said the driver was “falling in and out of consciousness and was scared he was going to die” so he reassured him until paramedics arrived.
Chris Hayes was inside his office about 150m away when heard the crash, which he said was “as loud as thunder”.
CityLink said it will not refund tolls to motorists caught up in the traffic chaos.”In this incident we won’t be refunding tolls because it is unfortunately beyond our control,” Ms Nicholas said.
“What we are trying to do is give drivers as much information as we can in order to plan their journey and minimise the disruption to their day.”
CityLink advises that Western Link remains closed inbound at Flemington Road.
Delays are back to Moreland Road with motorists wanting to exit at Flemington Road and Brunswick Road.
The Racecourse Road Entry Ramp onto Western Link is also closed. Drivers are advised to seek alternate routes.
The Footscray Road Entry Ramp onto the Bolte Bridge inbound is open.
Follow CityLink and Melbourne Traffic on Twitter for latest traffic updates.
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