Adelaide Hills locals rocked by death of 68-year-old Lower Mitcham man in Echunga crash

A quiet Hills town has been left reeling after a 68-year-old man was killed when his car veered onto the wrong side of the road, mounted a grassy strip and slammed head-on into a tree.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene, but the man, of Lower Mitcham, died at the scene. Picture: Natasha Emeck

• Man dies in crash at Echunga

A sleepy Hills community has been rocked by tragedy after a 68-year-old man was killed in a crash that left a tree scarred and debris strewn across the grass.

The crash unfolded just before 5.30pm on Monday along Kavanagh Rd – a normally peaceful stretch used mostly by locals – shattering the quiet in the small Adelaide Hills town of Echunga.

The man, from Lower Mitcham, appears to be heading south toward the nearby Buttunga Rd intersection when his car veered onto the wrong side of the road, mounted a grassy strip and slammed head-on into a tree.

The impact left deep scars gouged into the bark – a chilling reminder of the force of the crash.

The driver sadly died at the scene.

A 68-year-old man has died after crashing into a tree in the Adelaide Hills on Monday evening.

Debris strewn around the scene of the crash at Kavanagh Rd in Echunga.

A nearby resident said she was shocked to hear about the fatal crash on their normally quiet road.

“I was in the city when it happened and my sister rang in a panic,” she said.

“She goes, ‘Oh my God, where are you?’ She was worried it might’ve been someone in our family because there’s barely anyone who drives out this way unless they live here.”

She understood the driver may have suffered a medical episode, but SA Police said the cause of the crash was still under investigation and would be a matter for the Coroner to determine.

The road was shut for hours as Major Crash detectives combed the scene, piecing together the final moments of the man’s journey.

His death marked the 32nd life lost on SA roads this year.

Meanwhile, another man has died in hospital from his injuries a separate crash, bringing the road toll to 33 on Tuesday.

The 80-year-old died after a two-car crash north of Adelaide saw three people rushed to hospital on Sunday.

Police and emergency services were called to the intersection of Angle Vale Rd and Stebonheath Rd, Kudla, to reports of a crash between a Ford SUV and a Hyundai sedan.

The occupants of the Hyundai, a 75-year-old woman and her 80-year-old male passenger from Waterloo Corner, together with the driver of the Ford, a 44-year-old Gawler West woman were taken to hospital for treatment.

However, the passenger of the Hyundai, died in hospital.