By LAURA WAKELY
DRIVERS and vehicles miraculously escaped unscathed when a 12 metre building flew off the back of truck on the Western Ring Rd last week.
Traffic came to a stop at around 10.15am on Wednesday when the force of cross winds on the EJ Whitten Bridge hit the semi-trailer, causing the building to blow into the guard rail of the bridge.
There were long traffic delays until the bridge re-opened at 3pm, but there were no reported injuries to drivers or pedestrians or damage to motor vehicles as a result of the accident.
Brimbank SES Unit deputy controller Brad Dalgleish said the unit attended around 25 calls last Wednesday as winds of more than 100 kilometres an hour lashed the state.
Two calls were for minor building damage, while the remainder were for damage caused by tree branches falling in the winds, including one incident where a car was crushed by a branch.
The SES recently promoted their message of “prepare now or pay later” during Storm Safe week.
Mr Dalgleish said preventative maintenance was important during spring.
He advised residents to cut back any trees around the home and, after storm warnings, bring any outdoor furniture inside or under cover so that they don’t become flying missiles during storms.
He said residents should keep an eye on the SES website for storm warnings and updates at www.ses.vic.gov.au
