A child is dead and five other people, including a second girl, have been injured in a head-on crash in Victoria.
Investigators believe a white Holden Berlina was speeding and overtaking other motorists in the eastbound lane on the Hamilton Highway in Stonehaven, about 10km west of Geelong, in the lead-up to the crash.
Police allege the car swerved onto the opposite side of the highway and smashed head-on into a red Holden Barina about 9pm on Wednesday.
A 12-year-old girl, a rear seat passenger in the Barina, died at the scene.
A seven-year-old girl, also sitting in the back of the car, was taken to hospital with serious upper body injuries but an Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said she was in a stable condition.
A 36-year-old woman driving the Barina and her 38-year-old male passenger were taken to Geelong Hospital in a serious condition.
All four were from Lismore, Victoria.
A 28-year-old North Shore man, who police believe was behind the wheel of the white Berlina, was taken to Geelong Hospital in a stable condition.
"We have a disqualified driver, driving at high speeds, weaving in and out of its lane," Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Peter Romanis told reporters.
Footage shows the car hooning at Lovely Banks before the crash.
The driver remains in hospital under police guard and will be interviewed by officers.
His passenger, a 21-year-old North Shore man, was also rushed to Geelong Hospital in a critical condition.
Police are appealing for witnesses who saw the Berlina before the collision.
They said the erratic driving, more than an hour before the crash, wasn't reported at the time but investigators now had images and moving vision of the car.
The 12-year-old girl is the second death on Victoria's roads in 2024.
