Peebles family tells untold story behind state’s road statistics

As frightening new data shows the NSW road toll is the worst it’s been in 15 years, a Sydney mother reveals the trauma she and her young family have gone through after her husband was left with life-threatening injuries following a shocking crash in Terrey Hills nine days ago.

Every morning, Monika Peebles’ bubbly daughter bursts into her bedroom and asks: “Is daddy home?” – before Monika does everything she can to hold back tears and stop from breaking down.

That’s because Ms Peebles’ husband, Mark, is confined to a bed in Royal North Shore Hospital with a fractured spine, crushed leg and collapsed lung after a horror car crash in which his vehicle collided with a power pole at in Terrey Hills earlier this week.

The incident follows new data showing the NSW road toll is the worst it has been in 15 years.

But fatal crashes are not alone in leaving behind a trail of destruction, with the Peebles’ story highlighting the pain and suffering of those who survive serious road trauma.

Data from the NSW Centre for Road Safety shows more than 10,600 people are hospitalised a year with serious injuries due to road trauma, while the federal government has estimated the social cost of crashes to be as high as $30.3 billion per year.

“As well as the tragic and devastating amount of lives being lost on our roads, there are the many hidden impacts we don’t want to lose sight of. Head trauma and injuries equally effect families and their loved ones and the impacts can be felt for a lifetime,” NSW Centre for Road Safety chief Bernard Carlon said.

Ms Peebles told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday she was supposed to meet her husband for a Mother’s Day breakfast at their children’s daycare on May 9, but Mark decided to take on an early job.

Monika Peebles with daughter Josie, who is missing her dad.

She said that was typical of her husband – a loving, hardworking family man who worked six days a week tiling roofs to provide the best life for their kids Josie, 3, and 18-month-old Jaylen.

But not long after, Ms Peebles received the phone call every loved one dreads.

By the time she made it to hospital, unsure if her husband would live or die, Ms Peebles said Mark was “in such a state … even one of the nurses broke down crying, because it was just a heap of blood and glass and dirt”.

Josie with her father Mark Peebles in Royal North Shore Hospital after he survived a horrific car crash on May 9, 2025. Picture: Supplied

“Seeing my husband like that was just the biggest shock of my life. I can’t even put it into words,” she said.

At first the doctors weren’t sure if Mark had suffered brain damage or would ever walk again. Ms Peebles said for the first few days after the crash he would wake up yelling “I’m stuck, I’m stuck,” remembering the moment he was crushed inside the twisted pile of metal.

He was also suffering from bad memory loss and asking the same questions every few minutes, Ms Peebles said her husband is recovering faster than anyone expected.

“Now we’re finding out all these things are improving. His spinal cord is still intact, so he will be able to walk again, he has even started making jokes lately … and it’s just so amazing to hear him laugh,” she said.

The road to their old lives will be long – at least another two months in hospital, six months in recovery, and another six months until Mark could be back at work.

The wreckage of the crash on Mona Vale Road in Terrey Hills that almost killed Mark Peebles. Picture: TNV

Monika Peebles is holding the family together while Mark recovers in hospital.

Ms Peebles said she is trying to keep the family afloat knowing the months ahead will be tough between raising their two young kids while working a full time job.

Dealing with insurance companies and mountains of paperwork has also exposed the reality of what families have to piece back together once the sirens fade.

She won’t do it alone, Ms Peebles said, as her eyes misted up while talking about the friends and family who have come over to cook meals and take care of all the little things.

The fact Mark even survived was a miracle.

As Ms Peebles made her way back to the hospital, she talked about the family’s special plans for the evening.

“We’re having a picnic tonight, “ she said. “We have a plan to put a picnic blanket on the floor of his room and we’re going to have a family dinner together.”

“I’m trying to make it as light and positive as possible for (the kids),” she said.

Originally published as Peebles family tells untold story behind state’s road statistics