Heaslip Road set for review after Angle Vale woman’s crash

A distraught brother has recounted how people rushed to help his sister after she suffered serious injuries in a crash at a notorious black spot.

The brother of a woman hit and seriously injured while riding her motorbike at Angle Vale has recounted how witnesses immediately stopped to help her out.

Jesy Burton, 32, was hit by a car while riding along the notorious Heaslip Road, at Robert Road, resulting in her sustaining several broken bones and pleas from her family for the intersection to be fixed.

Despite being an active part of his sister’s recovery, Daniel Burton said he and his family were “extremely thankful” to people who stopped to help Jesy.

“She was so lucky to have such wonderful people stop and help,” he said.

Jesy Burton (front right) with father Jim, mum Leanne, brother Daniel and sister-in-law Tanya Rudloff and children. Picture: Supplied

“Nearly all of them are local to us and we likely pass them in the supermarket.

Motorbike crash victim Jesy Burton is in intensive care at the RAH recovering from serious injuries she sustained in a crash. Picture: Facebook

Daniel said it was likely his sister would suffer from her injuries for months.

“Her life has been so quickly and drastically changed,” he said.

“Her injuries are quite severe and it could be up to a year before she is recovered enough to get back to a new kind of normal.”

In the immediate aftermath of the crash Jesy and Daniel’s father, Jim made impassioned calls for “politicians” to fix the 13km road – described by regular users as a “death trap” – which has been the scene of several accidents including five already this year.

“Fix the roads and fix the bloody intersections on Heaslip Road,” he said.

“Every damned one needs either a roundabout or a speed hump to slow the f***ing idiots down.”

It’s believed speed wasn’t a factor in the crash.

Police investigated the crash, and laid charges against a 39-year-old woman from Two Wells.

The woman will face court at a later date accused of aggravated driving without due care.

Inspectors clean up after a double fatal crash on Heaslip Road in 1999. Picture: File

In January this year the intersection was the scene of another awful crash with the 18-year-old man of a three-car crash sustaining serious injuries and three other car occupants, including two children, also taken to hospital.

Calls for improvements to the intersections along Heaslip Road have continued for years without success.

Responding to questions from The Advertiser, a Infrastructure and Transport Department spokesman said Jesy’s crash had prompted a review of the road.

“The review will consider elements to improve safety such as improved signage and additional line marking, and is expected to be finalised by the end of December 2022, with any proposals to be implemented early 2023,” he said.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis was also contacted for comment.

Ms Burton’s family have started a fundraiser – which can be accessed here – to support her in her recovery.