By Luke Voogt
A man has died while another is fighting for life in hospital after two local crashes on Labour Day.
A horse rider died after a car struck his mount on 13th Beach Road, Connewarre, at 6.45am on Monday.
The Japanese man, aged in his 30s, had been a stablehand for Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Danny O’Brien prior to his death.
Earlier that morning a car rolled on Forest Road South, Lara, leaving a man in his 20s in a critical condition.
Paramedics airlifted the man with serious head injuries to Royal Melbourne Hospital where he remained in a critical condition on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson said.
Paramedics took a man in his 20s by road to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious but stable condition, according to Ambulance Victoria.
They also took a woman in her 20s with facial and upper body injuries in a serious but stable condition to University Hospital Geelong, Ambulance Victoria said.
The crashes followed a busy weekend for emergency services across Geelong and the Surf Coast.
On Saturday night State Highway Patrol officers intercepted an international driver travelling 159km/h on the Princes Highway Waurn Ponds with eight passengers.
On the same night police clocked a male P Plater driving 157km/h on the Princes Highway in Lara and a woman driving 92km/h in a 60km/h zone on Cape Otway Road, Moriac.
Police caught 97 people speeding on Geelong and Surf Coast roads and nabbed nine drug-drivers, six drink-drivers and 10 unlicensed drivers during the four-day Operation Arid.
Officers issued 10 tickets for disobeying signs, five for not wearing seatbelts, three for mobile phone offences and six for cycling offences.
Police detected 23 unregistered vehicles and impounded two cars over the long weekend.
