THE driver of a truck that overturned on the Princes Freeway at Laverton North, killing hundreds of sheep, has been fined for careless driving.
The truck was travelling towards Geelong on the Western Ring Road off-ramp about 9pm on May 31 when it rolled off a bend.
More than 400 sheep were on board and many fell to the road below, with several hitting vehicles as the truck dangled precariously above. Fewer than 10 sheep survived.
A vehicle hit by falling sheep rolled four times but its occupants escaped injury, as did the truck driver.
After spending several weeks investigating the incident, Wyndham police have fined the driver, a 28-year-old Epsom man. A police spokeswoman said he was fined $297 and will lose three demerit points. Following the incident, RSPCA Victoria spokeswoman Kristen Vear said inspectors described it as the worst incident involving animals they had ever seen.
It was the second crash on the freeway in three weeks involving livestock transport.
On May 9, a semi-trailer heading towards Melbourne crashed off the freeway near the Sneydes Road overpass. Cattle were tipped onto the road. Many were killed or seriously injured and traffic was blocked.
A number of injured cows were destroyed at the scene.
