A hunt is under way for a suspected hit-run driver after a father was found dead on the side of a Victorian freeway, about two hours east of Melbourne.
A passerby located the 40-year-old Traralgon man’s body on the Princes Freeway overpass, which runs over Princes Drive in Morwell, just before 9am.
The man was walking along the edge of the Princes Freeway, at the base of the overpass after 1 o’clock this morning, where it appears he was struck by a vehicle, police said.
Police suspect he was hit between 1am and 9am, when his body was found next to the barrier of the overpass.
“There is every possibility he could’ve been laying there for eight hours,” detective sergeant Mark Amos said.
Amos said the investigation was still in its infancy, but the man may have been hit by a “large vehicle”.
“It’s really difficult at the moment to place everything .. There’s a lot of debris up there, there’s some marks up there,” Amos said.
“He’s a son, he’s a partner, he’s a father,” Amos said.
“For a man to be left on the side of the road, alone, in the dark, dying, it beggars belief how people don’t just go back and look.”
It’s not yet known why the man was walking on the overpass, but detectives said it would form a part of their investigation.
Motorists who were travelling on the Princes Freeway towards Traralgon during these times are urged to check their dashcams for evidence of the man or vehicle involved.
“If you’ve got a business or something in Traralgon, have a look at your CCTV footage,” Amos said.
“If you see a car, a truck, four-wheel drive, anything you think might’ve been involved, let us know.
“What seems to be nothing to you, can be a very, very important piece of a big jigsaw puzzle that we’ve got here to solve.”
Detectives will remain on scene for most of the day, causing the closure of all eastbound lanes of the Princes Freeway between Tramway Road and Village Avenue.
Princes Drive is also closed eastbound between Alexanders Road and the freeway.
To avoid congestion, motorists travelling outbound beyond Traralgon are urged to exit the freeway at Moe, Newborough or Yallourn and detour via Tyers and Glengarry.
All outbound lanes will remain closed until detectives complete their initial. investigations
