Woman driver and her two male passengers dead, Victoria

A 19-year-old woman who died alongside two friends after the car she was driving hit a tree was just days away from celebrating her birthday, police say.

The young woman, and her passengers, a 17-year-old boy and 36-year-old man, all from Lakes Entrance in Victoria were just five kilometres from town when their car crashed at 2.15 on Saturday morning.

In an emotional press conference Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer revealed all three of the young people killed in the crash were a part of the small coastal community.

‘We’ve got three young lives lots and we have got the entire community of Lakes Entrance that are now devastated,’ he said.

Three people have been killed after the car they were travelling slammed into a tree overnight

The woman’s birthday on Monday should have been a celebration but will now be a day of mourning. 

‘She was due to have 19th birthday on Monday – it is a birthday that will never be celebrated and a day that will be mourned by the community,’ AC Fryer said. 

The three young victims were well known in the community, including to the emergency service crews who attended the crash.

‘Country roads are far more dangerous than metro roads,’ AC Fryer said as he urged the community to drive to the conditions. 

Police remain on the small country road where the deadly crashed occurred and believe speed could be a factor.

‘Here we have three young people dead, we have three young people dead who have wrapped themselves around a tree and speed will clearly be a determining factor,’ AC Fryer said.  

Just hours after the horror crash another two lives were lost after a head on collision in the state’s west. 

There have been 221 lives lost on Victorian roads this year. 

The accident is thought to have happened at about 2.15am on Saturday – police remain on the scene