A WIMMERA man who believes rough road surface caused his tractor to crash on a Drung road said it is a miracle he’s alive, and only a matter of time before someone else was killed.
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Craig Ross, a farmer and Country Fire Authority volunteer, said the community was fed up with poor roads.
“People are going to die if there isn’t an improvement, I’m extremely lucky to have gone home to my family,” he said. “I believe we have inadequate funding for roads. It’s an ongoing thing. I’m extremely lucky I wasn’t killed and I demand something is done about the absolutely ridiculous state or our rural roads.”
Police said the tractor hit a divot in the road before the incident but could not say whether the road surface caused, or was a factor in, the crash.
VicRoads Regional Director Ewen Nevett said they manage Horsham-Lubeck Road but Horsham Rural City Council was contracted to maintain the road.
He said the road underwent flood repairs this month and was generally in a good state.
Council said they maintain the road in accordance with directions from VicRoads.
Mr Ross claims he was travelling on Horsham-Lubeck Road, Drung, when his tractor hit a rut in the road, sheering off the mechanism that locks a gravel bucket onto the loader.
He said the bucket dislodged and the tractor went straight into it.
Mr Ross said the crash had completely written off his 12-month-old $200,000 tractor.
“I’m a volunteer with CFA and go to a lot of road accidents quite often where the state of the roads have contributed,” he said.
“Basically I’ve had a gut full. A number of CFA volunteers attended the crash and said it was an absolute miracle, with the state of the roads, I was not killed.
“I have multiple properties across the Wimmera, I travel up to 100 kilometres daily on Horsham Rural City roads and I am acutely aware of the state of them and the fact the roads have deteriorated enormously over the last three years.
“It’s only a matter of time until someone is killed.”