Barton head-on crash injures two

UPDATE: Two people have been seriously injured in a head-on collision on the Barton Highway near the entrance to Capricorn Horse Stud at 4.25pm.

Both drivers were trapped in their vehicles for some time before being freed by emergency crews.

Police said one is thought thought to be an elderly woman and the other, a man aged in his 30s.

Police did not say where they are from.
They have both been taken to Canberra Hospital for treatment.

The accident happened in a notorious black spot on the two-lane highway, which currently hosts 12,000 vehicles per day between Canberra and Yass.

Emergency crews responding to the incident reported a small grassfire ignited as a result of the collision.

Traffic has been diverted for several hours since the incident, with both lanes closed past 6.27pm.

Southbound traffic is being diverted via Murrumbateman Road, Sutton Road and the Federal Highway (excluding b-double trucks).

Northbound vehicles are being diverted onto Nanima Road then left onto Murrumbateman Road and then back onto the highway.

B-doubles are advised to use only the Federal Highway.

Motorist are urged to avoid the area if possible.

It’s the second crash to happen in the Yass Valley area today, with a semi trailer overturning on the Hume Highway south of Bowning earlier this morning.