A woman has died and a man has been taken to hospital following a serious head-on accident in Horsham, western Victoria, this afternoon, police say.
Police believe three vehicles collided on the Western Highway/McPherson Street about 12pm.
The female driver of one of the vehicles died at the scene.
A male driver of a second vehicle was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Western Highway has been closed at the intersection of McPherson Street and Hamilton Street, with local detours around the collision.
It is expected to remain closed for hours, with Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives travelling from Melbourne to conduct inquiries.
The Horsham Basketball Stadium has called off all of its Tuesday night matches as vehicles cannot access the entrance due to the road closures.
The fatal crash occurred on the same day that Victoria Police issued a critical road safety alert as the state enters a high-risk period for death and serious injury.
Eleven lives were lost in as many days this time last year, and police are concerned about history repeating as traffic volumes increase towards the end of the year.
Not including today's fatality, 222 people have died on Victorian roads this year so far — 24 higher than the same time last year and significantly up on the five-year average.
