Faces of tragedy: One person dies every seven days in Qld’s road death zone
From a horror triple fatal to teen lives cut cruelly short, police have broken the news a loved one has died in a crash to more people in this region than any other in 2023. This is their plea. VIDEO.
Fraser Coast
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They are the faces of sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, husbands and wives – all are dearly loved and never forgotten.
But the bitter truth is, so many of 2023’s Wide Bay-Burnett crash victims didn’t have to die.
Speaking to this publication about the staggering increase in the number of deaths in the region’s roads – 43, up 19 than the same time last year, Inspector Paul Algie said the toll was “obviously shocking”.
So concerned are police, additional officers from the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane have been brought in to carry out extended patrols in the region as part of Operation Bombay and Insp Algie warned drivers could expect to see an increased police presence on the region’s roads.
He said there was real concern about the local road toll which was higher than the regions in the rest of the state.
Pleading with loved ones and friends to call out bad behaviour if they saw it, Insp Algie said a lot of crashes were caused by “human stupidity” around the fatal five, including speeding and drink driving.
“The fatal five message is not sinking in as much as it should be,” Insp Algie said.
“Breaking that news to someone at 3am is tough on police and shattering for families.
“I hated doing it and my officers hate doing it,” he said.
Gympie Times journalist Scott Kovacevic said in the past seven years he had been to about 100 crashes, many of them serious.
“I’ve stood on the roadside and watched emergency crews fight to save lives, and even been there when they lost,” he said.
“It’s horrible, and I say that without ever having seen the worst of it.
I can’t imagine what it’s like for first responders.
“But they will keep experiencing it as long as people not only do stupid things on the roads, but condone or support them when they do.
“It’s a cultural problem which can be seen on social media.
“When we run stories about drink drivers it’s not uncommon to have people criticise us for shaming and embarrassing them over ‘a mistake’.
“I wonder how the families of people killed by drink drivers feel about that claim?”
Sergeant Chris Watson said it was “bewildering” for officers who had to attend fatal crashes, despite the repeated calls for drivers to take care.
He said the messages didn’t seem to be getting through.
“We’ve got to keep banging the same drum, reminding people they’ve got to drive to the conditions,” Sgt Watson said.
He said people were in a rush these days, “they’ve got to be somewhere now”.
“A little bit more patience, that would go a long way to fixing things.”
Matt Ward
The first day of the year was marked by tragedy with a crash at Bauple that claimed the life of a North Lakes man.
Matt Ward, 40, died at the scene when the crash happened about 1.07am near Chapman’s Rd, between Maryborough and Gympie.
The sports nutritionist and personal trainer had just celebrated his birthday days before the fatal crash.
In the months that have followed, the region has been shaken again and again by crashes that claimed the lives of beloved members of our communities.
Caitlyn Dean
In July a beloved young Bauple woman died weeks after being critically injured in a crash on the Bruce Highway.
Caitlyn Dean, 21, was critically injured on July 10, 2023, about 8am when her red Holden Barina and a prime mover collided about 35km south of Maryborough.
She was airlifted to the Royal Brisbane Hospital but died of her injuries almost three weeks later.
Tributes poured in for the young Fraser Coast roller derby competitor in the wake of her death, with friend Amy Todd posting that she had lost her “closest friend”.
“Since we first met as kids we knew we were soul bound, even years apart could never break us,” she said.
In January, a young Bargara man who was tragically killed when a truck hit him north of Gympie was remembered as a “hard working, caring” brother who was inseparable from his dog.
Miguel Vitale D'Amico
Miguel Angel Vitale D’Amico was killed while walking north along the Bruce Hwy at Glenwood about 10.30pm on January 20.
Police are calling for witnesses or anyone who may have dashcam footage from the area to come forward.
Rolinia Tremayne said her brother was a “hardworking, caring, funny young guy” who loved four-wheel-driving and enjoying the outdoors.
Man in 70s killed
In February, a man in his 70s was killed in a horror crash at Bauple.
The crash happened about 8.40pm on the Bruce Highway when a vehicle and a truck, which were travelling in opposite directions, collided.
The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle died at the scene.
The driver of the truck, a 28-year-old Ipswich man, was not physically injured.
Jodie Paterson
Tributes flowed for a 41-year-old Tinana woman killed in a car crash on the Bruce Highway near Chatsworth in May.
Jodie Paterson (Russell) has been remembered by her family as a “beautiful, caring and loving daughter, mother, sister, aunty and friend”.
“We are heartbroken by her sudden passing and she will be deeply missed by all who loved her dearly,” a statement issued on behalf of the family read.
“She had a smile for everyone and a heart of gold.
“She has left behind treasured memories that we will always hold”.
Kelsie Davies, Michale Chandler and Sheree Robertson
A horror triple fatal allegedly caused by a 13-year-old boy in a stolen car made Maryborough the epicentre of the state’s grief and anger surrounding the ongoing youth crime crisis in late April early May 2023.
The crash on Saltwater Creek Rd on April 30 claimed the lives of Kelsie Davies, 17, Michale Chandler, 29, and Sheree Robertson, 52.
It also left Kaylah Behrens fighting for life in hospital.
The community experienced a mix of shock, anger and heartbreak as it came together to mourn the lives so senselessly lost and to question the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
Ms Davies, Mrs Chandler and Ms Behrens, all members of Reach Church, were coming home from seeing a movie, while Ms Robertson was a nurse, driving home to Hervey Bay after working a shift at the Maryborough Hospital.
The alleged driver of the stolen Mercedes-Benz, a 13-year-old boy, sustained minor injuries to his foot.
He was taken to hospital but released shortly after and taken to the Maryborough watch house where he was charged with three counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and remains before the courts.
Cale Gilbert-Hall
Cale Gilbert-Hall, 19, died in September after his car hit a tree on Rodwell Rd at Brooloo, near the Mary Valley Highway.
His older brother, Jorn Gilbert-Hall, was 21 when he died in hospital following a car crash on the Yabba Creek Road at Imbil on August 6, 2020. Their mother, a first responder, was the first on the scene at Jorn’s accident.
Hayley Machen started a Go Fund Me page in the wake of the crash and quickly raised more than $16,000 for the funeral.
“There are no words to describe the tragic loss this family has endured,” Ms Machen’s post read.
“Cale is succeeded by his father George Gilbert, his mother Eleanor Hall, and his three siblings Odin, Jera and Jedd.
“Only three years ago this beautiful family grieved the loss of their son/brother Jorn … and now unbelievably are grieving the loss of Cale.”
Riley Wilson
The same King’s Birthday weekend Cale died, 21-year-old Nanango man Riley Wilson was also killed in a car accident.
The former Downlands student died on October 3 when his white Toyota HiLux dual cab ute crashed on the D’Aguilar Hwy at Barker Creek Flat, near the intersection with McCauley Broome Rd.
Preliminary investigations indicated the ute had veered off the road and rolled into the dry bed of Barker Creek.
He has since been described as a loved “larrikin”, a “cherished” mate and someone who was always up for challenge by some of those who knew him and loved him.
“I will never forget our most recent memory of my wedding day, you spending the morning with us girls while we got ready answering my phone because you reckon Brad’s not allowed to talk to me and just hanging around to get that photo of just us so you can sh** stir the boys that you were my favourite brother,” Chrisleigh Ryan wrote.
Levi Hanna
Gympie region teenager Levi Hanna died three days after he was critically injured in an horrific incident, following a heartbreaking plea from his family for the community to “say goodbye together”.
A car struck the 14-year-old while he was crossing a rural road at Canina, about 12km northeast of Gympie, in February.
Levi and his younger sister Scarlett had just stepped off their school bus near their home when he was hit.
Scarlett, 12, was hailed for heroic efforts, dropping her bag and rushing into the road to help Levi while other motorists and paramedics arrived at the scene.
Chelsea Maddox
Heartbreaking tributes poured in for a young woman who died after a single-vehicle crash in Maryborough in February.
Welcome Creek’s Chelsea Maddox, 19, was critically injured in a crash on Albert St about 8.45am on February 19.
A close friend of Ms Maddox wrote: “Thinking of my very dear friends today. Rest In Peace sweet girl. I will always remember you as the caring, energetic, confident girl with a free spirit”.
“You are so loved Chelsea Maddox,” she added.
“My heart goes out to your family, especially to my best friend.
“Forever 19 babe. Heaven certainly gained an angel today. Fly high darling.”
Stuart Wishart
The community threw its support behind a family trying to come to terms with the sudden loss of their beloved husband and father after a tragic motorcycle crash in October.
Stuart Wishart, 52, of Hervey Bay died in a crash between a motorbike and a 4WD ute on Pialba Burrum Heads Rd, Takura, about 7km west of Hervey Bay on Saturday.
Mr Wishart was riding west on his motorbike around midday when the bike collided with the 4WD, also heading in the same direction.
In the wake of the tragedy, Mr Wishart’s wife Karen shared her shock in a Facebook post.
“I‘m lost. this was not supposed to be our ending. We were supposed to have so much more. My heart is broken, my world in pieces. Our family has suffered a massive loss. You’ll never be forgotten, my heart, my love, my soul. ALWAYS and FOREVER.
“RIDE FREE MY LOVE.”
Wendy Chapman and 52-year-old Gympie man
In January, the region was shocked by a fatal truck crash in which a Maryborough woman and Gympie man were killed in a horrific rollover into a power pole near Gympie.
Maryborough’s Wendy Chapman, 44, was killed along with her 52-year-old passenger when the truck she was driving rolled into a power pole on Curra Estate Rd, Curra, north of Gympie, about 10.30am.
In December 2022, Ms Chapman had posted about moving to Maryborough and looking for work.
On Facebook, tributes were posted for the much-loved mum.
Chantelle Leschee described Ms Chapman as a “vibrant and fun-loving woman”.
Kaylie Moran wrote: “fly high and keep on riding, you will certainly be missed by all who knew and loved you”.
Pedro Wojciechowski
Pedro Wojciechowski, 66, was riding along Talegalla Rd near Talegalla Weir, 30km south of Maryborough, about 5.30pm in January when he crashed his motorbike, sustained critical injuries and died at the scene.
His daughter Angelina Pallisier said her father was always the life of the party.
“Today has been the hardest day of my life and the pain myself, our family and friends are feeling today is just shock and heartache,” she wrote.
“Dad was the most beautifulest soul you could meet.
“He was happy, grounded, had a huge heart and always the life of the party.
“Dad I am going to miss you so much.”
Kaine Brennan
A young Cooloola Cove man has been remembered by his friends and family after his car left the road at Gunalda – between Gympie and Maryborough – and emergency services tragically found the scene of the fatal crash early Saturday morning.
Kaine Brennan, 19, of Cooloola Cove has been remembered by his friends as someone who “truly knew how to light up a room without even trying”.
“He was my special little man,” his nan Kim Brennan said.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better grandson.”
Mr Brennan, who loved motorbiking, skydiving and four-wheel-driving, spent most of his life between Tin Can Bay and Cooloola Cove with his father and his nan and had aspirations of becoming a welder.
He first wanted to be a builder, but he had health issues that prevented him from reaching a certain height above his shoulders, Ms Brennan said.
He thought being a welder would be easier and had applied for a traineeship.
He finished grade 11 at Gympie State High and was working as a trade assistant at his nan’s mechanic shop in Cooloola Cove.
Hayden Kerr
Maryborough’s Hogan family was left devastated by the loss of 17-year-old son Hayden Kerr in a single vehicle crash at Thinoomba on September 2, 2023.
Police said the white Nissan Patrol was travelling east on Maryborough Biggenden Rd at Thinoomba at 6.55pm that Saturday, when it left the road and hit a number of trees near the intersection with Geysing Rd.
A GoFundMe page, started by Tobey Pehi in the wake of the crash, raised thousands of dollars for the family.
“We are writing to you today with heavy hearts to share the heartbreaking news of the sudden passing of Hayden, a vibrant young soul who was just starting to embark on the journey of life at the tender age of 17,” a post on the GoFundMe page read.
“Hayden’s zest for life was truly inspiring with his infectious smile.
“He touched the lives of all who knew him.”
Scott Banks and 37-year-old Nundah man
Two men in their 30s were confirmed dead after a horror crash into a train track earlier this month.
Family members later confirmed Scott Anthony Banks, owner of Bargara Removals, was the 39-year-old passenger killed when the Ford Falcon in which he was travelling left McGills Rd and crashed into a raised sugarcane line around 3am on Sunday.
Mr Banks and a 37-year-old Nundah man died at the scene.
The driver, a 26-year-old Bundaberg East man, was taken to hospital in a stable condition with a knee injury while another passenger, a 24-year-old Bundaberg North woman, was also taken to hospital in a stable condition with shoulder and face injuries.
Mr Banks was the owner of Bargara Removals, a Rubyanna-based moving company established in 1999, according to the company website.
Unidentified driver
A driver is still yet to be identified after a fiery fatal crash at Duckinwilla, near Howard, in May 2023.
Initial investigations indicated about 6.45am on May 14, a van was travelling along Duckinwilla Road on the Fraser Coast when it left the roadway and crashed into a tree.
The crash caused the van to ignite and become engulfed in fire.
Upon the arrival of emergency services, the driver and only occupant was found dead within the vehicle.
A police spokeswoman said investigations were still underway to identify the driver.
Any witnesses or anyone with dashcam vision is urged to contact Policelink on 131 444.
Raymond Hansen
A beloved husband and father was killed in a single-vehicle crash at Duckinwilla in August.
Howard’s Raymond James Hansen, 71, known as Ray, died after his car crashed into a tree on the Bruce Highway on August 11.
About 5.50am that day, a motorist on his way to work saw the wreckage of Mr Hansen’s white 1996 Nissan Pathfinder, and found Mr Hanson dead inside.
In his funeral notice, the former Gladstone man was remembered as a much-loved husband, adored father and uncle to his family and “cherished friend” to his work family.
Carolyn Burns
A beloved wife, mother and grandmother was identified as the woman who was struck and killed by her own vehicle at a Maryborough shopping centre.
Carolyn Burns, 79, was critically injured about 5pm on March 31 when her vehicle rolled in the car park of Maryborough Central.
In a funeral notice for Mrs Burns, she was remembered as the beloved wife of Graeme, to whom she had been married for 58 years, and mother of David, Ian and Megan.
Tributes flowed for Ms Burns after the incident, with Noelene Schiefelbein writing “sleep peacefully my beautiful high school friend”.
Graham ‘Abdul’ Mehmet
Hervey Bay’s Graham ‘Abdul’ Mehmet, 63, died after his after his car veered off the Maryborough Cooloola Road in the Tuan Forest and plunged into Poona Creek about 5.30am on May 23.
Mr Mehmet was the only person in the car at the time.
In his funeral notice, Mr Mehmet was remembered as the beloved father of John and Kara, poppy of Stirling, a much-loved brother and uncle and friend to many.
“Our love is strong but our sadness is deep,” the funeral notice read.
Lilly Hayes
A week after being severely injured in a horror two-vehicle crash on a single-lane rural road in Gunalda, north of Gympie, Curra teen Lilly Hayes died in hospital.
Her family and loved ones were by her bedside when she died in June and are “now grieving the loss of their daughter and sister”, Sherryn Wynne wrote in the latest update on a GoFundMe page for Lilly.
Lilly, 15, who attended James Nash State High School in Gympie, was “our sassy little Lilly” who “had the whole world ahead of her,” Ms Wynne wrote.
“Such a loving caring young lady. You helped Mia more than you will ever know. It was a pleasure having you over. Such beautiful manners,” Kirra Mills said in a Facebook comment.
Brayden Roy
Beloved Avenell Heights man Brayden Roy died when the red Honda motorcycle he was riding collided with a car near a school in Maroondan.
Emergency services received the call at 11am after the collision near the intersection of Mellvilles Rd and Bundaberg Gin Gin Rd, close the Maroondan State School.
Trinitii Lee said she would miss her friend.
“I don’t even know what to say except that I’ll miss your face and your kind heart,” she wrote.
“You were so beautifully natured and you always made me laugh.
“You will be missed by everyone, you were a light in the dark.
“You didn’t deserve this at all.”
Matthew Alder
Tributes poured in for a motorcyclist who was killed in a horrific crash on the Bruce Highway near Childers in January, with friends saying they would sorely miss the “good bloke” with a warm heart.
Matthew Alder, who was aged in his 50s, died at the scene when motorcycle he was riding collided with a car near the intersection of Old Creek Rd.
Police reports indicate a white Toyota sedan was travelling north on the Bruce Highway when the collision occurred with the southbound motorcycle.
His friend Aandra Drago remembered Mr Alder as being a “good bloke” with a warm heart.
Nicholas ‘Joel’ Wright
The death of young man, killed when the car he was a passenger in rolled near Bundaberg in August left two tight-knit Queensland communities in shock.
Nicholas “Joel” Wright, 23, died at the scene while the driver, a 23-year-old boy, suffered serious head injuries in the crash, which occurred at the intersection of Burnett Head and Gibsons roads about 2am.
Two other teenagers – a boy and girl- suffered minor injuries and were taken to Bundaberg Hospital in a stable condition.
Tributes have started to flow for Joel, who grew up in Mackay but had recently relocated to Gin Gin.
Lora Lewis from Airlie Beach posted a photo of her with Joel, with the caption, “a love I will never forget”.
Others have turned to Facebook to pay tribute to Joel.
Maree Jaym wrote “I love you forever buddy”.
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