Arrive Alive: New campaign rolled out to tackle soaring road toll and highlight role of first responders

An officer on the way to deliver the terrible news of a fatal crash to the victim’s family was passed by a driver going 170km/h in a 100km/h zone, raising the fury of senior police.

A police officer en route to deliver the heartbreaking news a female driver had died in a crash south of Adelaide was forced to pull over a driver hooning at more than 70km/h over the speed limit, drawing the fury of emergency services.

Police have declared this year’s road toll “a disgrace”, imploring drivers to think not only of themselves but the emergency services who respond to every crash.

Thirty seven lives have been lost on the state’s roads so far this year, more than half last year’s entire total.

Already this year there have been 230 crashes resulting in serious injuries compared with 159 in the same period last year.

The Advertiser today with SA Police launches a new campaign, Arrive Alive, to highlight the devastating trauma of crashes with the aim of reducing the state’s soaring road toll.

Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said to label this year’s road toll disappointing would be an understatement.

“The number of lives lost on SA roads this year is a disgrace,” he said.

“For each of those 37 lives lost on the roads there have been 37 teams of emergency and hospital personnel who have been involved in witnessing the trauma on our roads.

“That’s 37 teams of police officers who have been out to secure the scene, investigated the cause of the crash and, worst of all, notify the loved ones of someone who has just died. It is one of the worst jobs a police officer can do, it is just heartbreaking.”

Mr Parrott said the trauma was spread across emergency services.

Registered nurse Dylan Hogan, MFS firefighter Josh Byerlee, rescue specialist Kerren Morriss-Black, police officer Kate Dawson, paramedic Isobel Cameron and CFS firefighter Ben Langberg at Victoria Park. Picture: Matt Loxton

“The MFS and CFS are the people who go to scenes to cut people out of vehicles, in most cases to save their lives but in some cases just so their body can be retrieved,” he said.

“Paramedics are involved in trying to save people’s lives, they try to put life back into a lifeless body on the side of the road until they have exhausted their options and there is nothing left they can do.

“Every emergency services worker has to go to the scene of road crashes. They have to deal with the screams and the blood, they have to deal with the trauma of every crash where a life is lost or someone is seriously injured.”

Mr Parrott said the message from police, reinforced at several media conferences this month, was not sinking in.

He said two outrageous incidents had shown warnings were not getting through.

On Thursday a 74-year-old woman died in Strathalbyn after her car left the road and crashed into a tree.

While police were guarding the scene, a 59-year-old female driver with a child in her car pulled up at the roadblock.

Within site of the crash site, the woman blew .087 on an alcotest.

She lost her licence for six months and had her car impounded.

“This just goes to show the absolute apathy and disregard people have and it just has to stop,” Mr Parrott said.

Assistant Commissioner, Ian Parrott. Picture: Matt Loxton

In a second incident, the police officer driving to notify the family of the 74-year-old woman of the crash pulled over a speeding driver who reached more than 170km/h in a 100km/h zone.

“I can only imagine the shocking situation for that officer who has been given the job of notifying that family only to encounter someone driving like that,” Mr Parrott said.

“He said he was just ‘blowing out the cobwebs’.”

The dismay of police and emergency services comes following a spate of fatal and serious crashes.

On Wednesday, two 16-year-old high school students were hit by a truck outside Marryatville High School.

A 16-year-old boy remains in a critical but stable condition following the crash.

The driver of the truck has been charged with two counts of causing harm by dangerous driving and was released on bail to face court in June.

SES volunteer Johnny Quinn, who has volunteered with the service for a decade, urged people to be safe on the roads after witnessing his fair share of road crashes.

“I’ve been out to people I know recently,” he explained. “It obviously takes a toll on the family and all the rest of it.”

Mr Quinn explained the SES has the job of rescuing people from the wreckage of car accidents using the jaws of life.

“It’s not very pleasant, it can be quite confronting,” he said.

The dedicated volunteer, who works as a manager at a tree company, said he goes out to jobs, on average, about two times a week. The hardest ones being those when lives are lost.

“Your first fatality always sticks with you, and multiple fatalities,” he said. “The days afterwards, you definitely think about it quite a lot.”

The Strathalbyn local explained it’s always heartbreaking when lives are lost on the roads, but accidents involving children, or people he knows, always hit him the hardest.

The volunteer said despite there always being “an element of emotion,” it’s important to remain task-focused and make sure the job gets done.

“I don’t know about switch off, but I switch into a different mode maybe,” he said.

Emergency Services Minister Joe Szakacs said the human consequence of road trauma is “everlasting”.

“But the trauma doesn’t vanish once the incident is cleared. First responders have to deliver crushing blows to mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and friends that their loved one isn’t coming home. They deliver the worst news someone could ever be told far too often,” he said.

“Next time you drive, spare a thought for the ambulance, fire truck or police car that comes past with lights and sirens, they could be on their way to a scene they will never be able to forget.”

Over the past weekend three people lost their lives, including a 40-year-old woman who died after the car she was driving was hit by a car driven by a 22-year-old man.

He has since been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Last Friday, Danny Westhoff, 59, father of former football players Justin and Matthew, died in a motorcycle crash at Barossa Valley.

On Saturday morning, Glenelg mother of two, Georgina Heath, 51, died at the scene of a crash, following a two-car collision on Main South Rd, Hackham.

Truck driver charged after two students seriously injured in crash outside Marryatville High School