10 tragic deaths on Mackay, Whitsundays and Pioneer Valley roads
These are the men and women – and children – lost in what police say are avoidable tragedies.
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It is the hardest part of an already difficult job.
Mackay Forensic Crash Unit Sergeant Michael Hollett is tasked with visiting the families of people killed in tragic road crashes.
He said all of the crashes he had seen were avoidable.
“It’s very difficult to speak to the families after fatal crashes, especially when they were the victim of someone else’s actions,” he said.
There have been a heartbreaking number of deaths on the road, with the majority attributed to drugs or alcohol-affected drivers.
“Almost all of the deaths on our roads are from drugs or alcohol; we can pinpoint exactly how these crashes occur and what combination of factors have caused the crash,” Sergeant Hollett said.
“We don’t understand why people don’t want to listen.”
These are seven tragic scenes that emergency services had to respond to on Mackay’s roads since April 2020.
Walter Newton
A horrific three-vehicle crash claimed the life of the Townsville man on the Bruce Highway north of Mackay.
Walter Newton was travelling with his son, also named Walter, on July 16, 2021, when police believe a Holden ute crossed onto the wrong side of the road.
Mr Newton, 60, died at the scene near Rise and Shine Road, while his 19-year-old son and the 32-year-old Holden ute driver were flown to Mackay Base Hospital.
Tributes flowed for the Townsville father who was much-loved in the community.
Ethan Durnsford
Ethan Durnsford was a passenger in a car on his way back to Bowen from Moranbah when he died at the scene of a horror crash near Nebo earlier this month.
The dual-cab ute the 18 year old was a passenger in and a diesel tanker collided on the Peak Downs Highway shortly before 5.30am in August 8, 2021.
The ute driver was transported to Mackay Base Hospital in a stable condition.
The driver of the truck was not physically injured in the crash.
Mr Durnsford was three weeks into his dream boilermaking apprenticeship, with a long-term goal of helping run his grandfather's farm.
Scott Burrage
A car with stolen number plates allegedly struck the Mirani father’s stationary vehicle in the Pioneer Valley in March.
Scott Burrage, 35, died at the scene of the incident, with police and paramedics unable to revive him on the side of the Mackay Eungella Road between Mirani and Marian on March 20, 2021.
A 33-year-old East Mackay man police allege hit Mr Burrage’s vehicle was taken to Mackay Base Hospital with no life-threatening injuries.
An online fundraiser collected more than $5000 to support Mr Burrage’s family, including his three young girls, and described him as “truly one of a kind”.
Shannon Dryburgh
A Whitsunday crash claimed the life of a 48-year-old Preston father on June 30, 2021.
Shannon Dryburgh died at the scene of the crash on Conway Road, with his 41-year-old partner Shontelle Fulton allegedly driving the vehicle.
Mr Dryburgh was a father to a 13-year-old girl, and was described as “a beautiful guy” by a long-time friend.
The car rolled during the incident, pinning Mr Dryburgh before paramedics pulled him from the wreckage and tried to revive him.
Christopher Zarvalis
A head-on crash between a dual cab utility and a truck has claimed the life of a Dysart man on February 26, 2021.
The moment Christopher Zarvalis’s dual cab ute and an oncoming truck collided on the Peak Downs Highway was caught on dashcam – a horrific crash that closed the road 3km west of Fiery Creek at Nebo for several hours.
Christopher Zarvalis, 35, died at the scene.
A 42-year-old truck driver from Mirani suffered minor injuries in the collision. He had tried to warn the oncoming ute moments before the point of impact.
Bailey Pini
Bailey Pini was just a few kilometres from his grandmother’s home in Bowen when the car he was driving crashed and rolled.
The 13-year-old boy, and another teen, had driven from Sarina where he was staying at a state-run care home.
Bailey was the driver of the car reported stolen when it crashed in the early hours of June 9 this year.
A 13-year-old boy died in a single-vehicle crash in Bowen.
Bailey’s family revealed he had been placed into care less than a month before the crash after struggling to deal with the death of his mother Sonia Pini.
She died after a short battle with cervical cancer in July 2020.
Barb Adamson
A Proserpine woman died in a crash between a van and car on Shute Harbour Rd on October 14, 2020.
Police believe Barb Adamson, 79, attempted to perform a U-turn at Mount Julian and hit a van travelling behind her.
She died at the scene, while a male driver of the other vehicle was taken to Proserpine Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Both vehicles caught fire as a result of the crash, with Shute Harbour Rd closed in both directions while the Forensic Crash Unit investigated the scene.
Barb was the co-ordinator of Boomerang Bags Whitsundays, an initiative that encourages residents to swap plastic shopping bags for hand-sewn alternatives.
Crystal Marr
Crystal Marr’s four children witnessed their young mother’s death on Eimeo Road while sitting in a nearby car.
The 33-year-old Mackay woman died at the scene when a car struck her on the dark road on July 15, 2020.
The driver, a 48-year-old Blacks Beach man, stopped and performed CPR on the critically injured woman, but she could not be saved.
Ms Marr’s children, aged 10, five, four and three, witnessed the incident from a parked car on the side of the road.
Ms Marr was preparing to marry her partner before the crash, but instead was farewelled in a purple casket during a touching final goodbye.
Gordon Santo
Gordon Santo died in a shocking two-vehicle head-on crash on April 6, 2020 on the Bruce Highway.
Mr Santo, known in the rugby league world as ‘The Big Unit’, was remembered for his prowess on the field and his love for his family off it.
Doug Pitt, who coached Mr Santo for three years, said he had the talent to play in the NRL but he was not prepared to leave his family.
“Melbourne Storm were going to sign him but for whatever reason, Gordie said it wasn’t for me,” he said.
Mr Santo played for Wests Tigers in Mackay leading up to the crash.
Leon Kriel
Leon Kriel, 61, was one of two victims in a fatal three-vehicle crash on the Peak Downs Highway on November 18, 2020.
Mr Kriel, from The Gap, died at the scene when his ute, another ute and a B-double truck collided.
The incident closed the Peak Downs Highway for about 12 hours as the crash site was cleared.
Mr Kriel was remembered as “a cheeky, lover of life” who “worked hard, played hard and made a mark on all that knew him”.
His family paid tribute to Mr Kriel, and was described as a loving husband, father and Oupa.
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