Police said a 45-year-old Yarrawonga man was killed by a large fallen tree branch while his wife and teenage son were left injured around 7:10pm.
Sergeant Shaun Hillier of Wangaratta Highway Patrol said the 45-year-old along with his family were driving out of Loop Track at Yarrawonga attempting to escape a storm when the branch fell and landed on their moving vehicle.
“I believe their other route was blocked by a tree which is why they’ve decided to go the way they did, which is unfortunately where the incident occurred,” he said.
Sgt Hillier said the 45-year-old died at the scene, while the woman and boy were able to exit the vehicle before paramedics arrived.
He said the two locally-based family members were taken to Wangaratta hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where they have remained as of 11:30am Wednesday.
“We offer our condolences to the family; we’re doing everything we can to support them and anyone else involved in the incident,” Sgt Hillier said.
“They were doing nothing wrong; they were simply trying to get out of the area when a severe storm struck.
“Unfortunately, when you’re in these areas and storms come through freak accidents like this do happen.
“It’s a terrible accident.”
Police will prepare a report for the coroner detailing the circumstances leading up to the fatality.
Around 8.4mm of rain fell between 7pm and 7:30pm Tuesday in Yarrawonga according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s recording station, with peak wind gusts reaching 78km/h at 7:04pm.
BOM issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Wodonga, Yarrawonga, Wangaratta, Bright and surrounds at 7.45pm, which was replaced by an advice alert at 8:26pm.
A SES spokesperson said Yarrawonga SES volunteers responded to almost 20 Requests for Assistance (RFA) between 6pm Tuesday and 9am Wednesday to be by far the busiest in the Hume region.
Callouts were largely related to tree falls and building damage.
Homes and businesses throughout Yarrawonga lost power for several hours between 7pm and 10.30pm due to the storm. In Mulwala the township also lost power for over seven hours due to powerline damage according to Essential Energy.
Monitor weather warnings, forecasts and river levels at the Bureau of Meteorology website, and warnings through VicEmergency website/app/hotline.
You can report new power faults and emergencies online www.ausnetservices.com.au/outages/report-a-fault or on 13 17 99.
For emergency services, call the SES on 132 500.
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