Six die on regional roads
Hwy Patrol officers shocked, disappointed
SIX people, including an eight-year-old girl, have died on regional roads over the weekend.
The latest fatality, which occurred at Orange about 2:20pm yesterday (Sunday), followed a triple fatality near Cooma on Saturday.
Two cars collided on the Northern Distributor Rd at Orange, resulting in the death of one man and a 41-year-old mother and her three young daughters – aged five, two and nine months – taken to Orange Base Hospital where they are reportedly in stable condition.
Two women, aged 62 and 67, died on Saturday when two cars collided on the Monaro Highway near Cooma on Saturday afternoon.
A 67-year-old man, who was airlifted to The Canberra Hospital in a critical condition, died yesterday from his injuries.
A 15-month-old baby, who was in the car being driven by the 62-year-old woman, was the only survivor and escaped with minor injuries.
On Saturday morning police found a 51-year-old man dead after he was thrown from a utility that left a highway and rolled several times near Gunnedah.
The deceased man, from Manilla, northwest of Tamworth, was found near the vehicle.
It is believed the crash happened between 4pm on Friday and 9am on Saturday.
On Sunday morning police announced that an eight-year-old girl who was rescued from a crashed car near Cowra had died in hospital.
Police say a Toyota Rav4, which was being driven by the girl’s 32-year-old mother, span out across a left-hand bend on the Lachlan Valley Way, about 5km north of Cowra, and smashed into a tree on Saturday at 12-noon.
The mother and her child were freed by rescue personnel and taken by ambulance to Orange Base Hospital.
The girl later died in hospital, where her mother remains in a stable condition and is being treated for a fractured clavicle and scapula and for chest injuries.
Meanwhile, Traffic and Highway patrol Operations Commander, Superintendent Stuart Smith, says motorists need to pay more attention to the rules of the road and drive to the conditions.
“The tragic loss of life this past weekend highlights just how little room for error there is when vehicles are travelling at speed,” says Superintendent Smith.
“Drivers should exercise caution whenever they are behind the wheel, but particularly when they are travelling at higher speeds on highways, motorways and freeways.”
He says Traffic and Highway Patrol officers were, yet again, shocked and disappointed by some of the irresponsibility they observed on the state’s roads over the past weekend.
“Despite the numerous warnings we and other agencies issue about the importance of driving responsibly, some motorists continue to behave in a reckless and life-threatening manner,” says Superintendent Smith.
Regional
