The truck crash caused traffic delays throughout the morning peak. Credit:Simon Schluter "He said it was his fault; he just said he didn't see it." The truck driver – who said his name was Darren, but declined to give his surname – said he feared for his life when a tyre blew on his semi-trailer. "I blew a steer tyre and lost total control of the truck," he said. "I didn't have time [to be scared] you just react. I was just trying to keep the truck going straight and upright and looking at the bridge coming up at me thinking, 'this is going to be it'.

The truck pinned a car and crossed a barrier. Credit:Simon Schluter "It all happened too quick, you don't realise until later, I probably won't realise later today, when I get home and see the kids, realise what could have been." Darren said the tyre was new, but declined to provide details about the age and model of the truck. Debris from the truck, which was carrying scrap metal. Credit:Simon Schluter It is believed Darren is the owner-operator of his trucking business, based in rural NSW.

He said he was in Victoria collecting scrap metal from a farm. That metal was strewn across the Western Ring Road, but Darren said his load was properly secured. "The load was chained down and secured but when you hit the barrier and roll like that – it's going to come out," he said. "The main thing is that no people were hurt, [the driver of the vehicle] is alive and breathing, that's the main thing. They're just vehicles. "When you blow your steer tyre going at 100 kilometres an hour, it's very lucky no one was hurt."

The crash comes hours after a horror 11-vehicle pile up on the same road on Monday night when a truck lost control, crossing six or seven lanes and crashing into about eight vehicles. That incident – which occurred less than three kilometres from Tuesday's crash – left a man in his 30s fighting for his life and seven others, including an 11-year-old girl, seriously injured. Tuesday's crash happened between Pascoe Vale Road and Sydney Road. The drivers of the truck and the blue Ford sedan, both aged in their 40s, escaped major injuries. The driver of the Ford was taken to Northern Hospital with arm and shoulder injuries, but was discharged shortly after.

VicRoads spokesman Chris Miller said traffic was backed up for eight kilometres in both directions from the scene of the crash, and impatient driving caused further accidents. "We had a minor, five-car nose-to-tail prang on an on-ramp to the Ring Road, Greensborough-bound," he said. "We've had reports of people doing silly things, like reversing off off-ramps." Mr Miller also warned motorists not to use their mobile phones after reports many were filming the crash while driving past. "It's dangerous not only to them, it also puts our emergency crews in danger," he said.

"And with the amount of police on scene, I suggest they wouldn't get away with it for too long." A tow truck removed the sedan that was under the semi-trailer by 7.45am. By 10.15am, emergency crews had used cranes to right the upturned truck its trailer and by 12.20pm the vehicle had been removed with all lanes open on the freeway.