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Father killed in ‘catastrophic’ 200km/h fireball crash

A father has died in a fireball after a car allegedly travelling at more than 200km/h slammed into his Mercedes in Melbourne.

Police are investigating claims of erratic driving, describing the crash in Glen Waverley as "catastrophic".

The suspected victim was a married 49-year-old father-of-one.

“This is a big crash,” Detective Sergeant Mark Amos said.

“It’s catastrophic in every sense of the word.”

The Mercedes bursts into flames. Source: 7 News
The Mercedes bursts into flames. Source: 7 News

Both cars were on Waverley Road on Saturday about 2am. The Mazda hit the Mercedes from behind.

It burst into flames as it slammed into a light pole, which snapped and fell on the road.

The Mazda hit two cars outside a dealership before stopping on a nature strip.

The driver, a man in his 30s, was cut from his vehicle and is in a serious condition in The Alfred Hospital with chest and leg injuries. He’s yet to speak with police.

Police described the crash as 'catastrophic'. Source: 7 News
Police described the crash as 'catastrophic'. Source: 7 News
It's believed this Mazda was travelling at more than 200km/h. Source: 7 News
It's believed this Mazda was travelling at more than 200km/h. Source: 7 News

CCTV shot 500m from the intersection shows the Mazda whizzing past, heading towards disaster.

Witness Ezra Toddey described the crash as “like lightning”.

He said the speed camera flashed as it sped through a red light at a previous intersection.

That data will reveal its speed but Seven News understands the vehicle's speedo was stuck on 210km/h.

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The driver of the Mazda suffered leg and chest injuries. Source: 7 News
The driver of the Mazda suffered leg and chest injuries. Source: 7 News

Police conducted tests and collected evidence on the ground and from the air to piece together what happened.

Det Sgt Amos said there was nothing to suggest the two cars were racing but there were indications of “speed, and some sort of erratic behaviour”.

“We’ve had some indication that the car was on the wrong side of the road at some point,” he said.

Such was the force of the crash the Mercedes’ engine was ripped out as it hit the light pole. The engine landed 15 metres away on the other side of Waverley Road.

The investigations continue.

The force of the crash ripped the engine from the Mercedes. Source: 7 News
The force of the crash ripped the engine from the Mercedes. Source: 7 News