The van driver was severly burnt while trapped. Credit:Penny Stephens The driver of the taxi, a man aged about 50, was taken to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition suffering from shock. Senior constable Steve Warr, from the Yarra Highway Patrol, said the maxi-cab had been parked in the centre parking bay and pulled out onto Lonsdale Street when it was struck by the van, which appeared to be speeding well above the posted 50km/h limit. ‘‘We can’t estimate (the speed) but it’s in excess of the posted speed limit of 50km/h,’’ he said. ‘‘The damage on the van suggests that it’s well in excess of the speed limit.

The maxi-cab lies on its side near the intersection of Lonsdale and Russell street. Credit:Penny Stephens ‘‘It appears that the fire was very large. Some of the preliminary footage that we’ve seen so far indicates that it was a significant explosion from an LPG gas tank which resulted in the [flames] coming into the cabin of the second driver. ‘‘I think we’ve lucky that it’s occurred at this time of day so there were no pedestrians around. It appears that both drivers are lucky to have gotten away from this accident unscathed.’’ Emergency crews can be seen trying to free the van driver. Credit:Age reader Chris Iversen Alan Runacres, a security guard in a nearby building, rushed to the crash scene with a fire extinguisher and put out the blaze that was engulfing the front of the van and rear of the taxi.

He said the driver of the van was screaming for help when he reached the wreckage. The expolsion was caused when the taxi's gas tank is believed to have ruptured. Credit:Penny Stephens I didn’t see the [LPG] tank at first or I might not have got so close. After I put it out I could see it leaking petrol. ‘‘He was screaming a bit, trying to get out, but I was mainly around the back of the taxi,’’ Mr Runacres said, adding that other passersby were trying to help the driver. ‘‘There was a big fire around the back of the taxi and a little one at the front of the white vehicle and I just put the fire out out the back of the vehicle.’’

Mr Runacres, the building’s chief fire warden, said he was due to start work at 7am but usually got to the office at 6am to do the crossword and ease into the day. He was standing near the building’s life when he saw a flash. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and rushed outside to see if anyone was hurt. ‘‘I didn’t actually see the accident. I saw the flash. I thought it might have been a dump truck at first. There were quite a few flames coming out the back of the taxi,’’ he said. ‘‘I didn’t see the [LPG] tank at first or I might not have got so close. After I put it out I could see it leaking petrol. ‘‘It’s usually a pretty slow for cars along here [Lonsdale Street]. I’ve never seen one turn over like that before.’’

The collision and fireball was captured on CCTV camera from nearby businesses, and police will examine the footage. They will also examine footage from the taxi’s CCTV camera. Senior constable Warr said it was very strange to see an LPG gas tank explosion. Police are appealing for the driver of a third vehicle in the area at the time to come forward. The dark-coloured vehicle, possibly a black Mercedes sedan, was seen travelling behind the white van immediately before the crash. Senior constable Warr could not say if the vehicles were racing at the time. ‘‘At this stage it appears to be travelling at around the same speed as the white van at the time,’’ he said.

"The driver of the white van is very lucky. He’s very lucky to have not been worse under the circumstances.’’



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