Horror footage of Melbourne West Gate Bridge crash

Publish date: 2024-05-22

Victoria’s County Court has released startling footage of the moment a speeding car collided with a Vinnies truck on the West Gate Bridge, leaving one man dead and bringing Melbourne to a standstill.

Emanuel Kur, then aged 21, was behind the wheel of a Ford sedan travelling at 120km/hr outbound on the West Gate Bridge when his vehicle collided with a Vinnies truck in July last year.

All outbound lanes of the West Gate Freeway were closed, causing significant delays across Melbourne CBD and holding up traffic for hours.

Now, shocking footage has been released of the moments before the fatal crash.

In clips released by Victoria’s County Court, the Ford can be seen hurtling down the West Gate Freeway at about 10.30am, swerving between vehicles in heavy morning traffic before colliding with the rear corner of a Vinnies truck.

The Vinnies truck tips onto its side, blocking several lanes of traffic. Terrifying dashcam footage showed two people inside hanging upside down as debris flew around their heads.

Kur’s front-seat passenger — his best friend — 22-year-old Kuol Jock Deng, was killed in the crash.

Deng was given CPR at the scene by two witnesses and was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. He died the same evening.

Kur — who was on his learner’s permit at the time of the crash — pleaded guilty on Monday to a number of charges, including culpable driving causing death and driving recklessly.

The court heard Kur recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.209 — more than four times the legal limit — and was on two counts of bail at the time of the crash.

A police detective estimated he was travelling 119km/hr when he hit the Vinnies truck, but said the true speed prior to the collision was likely to be higher. The speed limit on the West Gate Bridge is 80km/hr.

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Judge Douglas Trapnell said Kur was facing “a very significant” jail sentence for the “very serious example of culpable driving”.

Judge Trapnell described Kur’s character as a driver as “abysmal”, noting he had clocked up six traffic infringement notices in two years, all for speeding.

Kur, a Sudanese refugee, will be sentenced on October 3. He faces deportation after finishing his jail sentence.

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