Hours later, a major collision at the intersection of Victoria Parade and Nicholson Street in East Melbourne left at least one car destroyed and caused peak-hour chaos near St Vincent’s Hospital.
About 7am, a car mounted a curb and collided with a teenage pedestrian, Victoria Police said. He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious condition with lower-body injuries.
The car also struck five parked vehicles, and the driver – a woman who is yet to be formally identified – was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition with upper and lower-body injuries.
The crash caused trams to be diverted and forced the closure of Victoria Parade’s westbound lanes between Gisborne Street and Spring Street. Nicholson Street’s northbound lanes between Albert Street and Victoria Parade were also closed.
Triple-zero callers reported smoke was billowing from at least one vehicle, a Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) spokesman said.
Firefighters, police and paramedics arrived within three minutes to find a small fire was already extinguished, and one person was trapped.
The person was extracted soon after, and the scene was declared under control about 7.10am, the FRV spokesman said.
Drivers on surrounding roads were experiencing delays of up to 25 minutes before 9am, the Department of Transport and Planning said.
Police urged anyone with information or footage about the crashes to contact Crime Stoppers.
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