William Baker dies after Blacks Beach dirt bike and bus collision

Loved ones of an Eimeo teen who tragically died after a crash involving a dirt bike and a tavern courtesy bus are pushing to have a skate park renamed in his honour.

Loved ones of an Eimeo teen who tragically died after a crash involving a dirt bike and a tavern courtesy bus are pushing to have the Blacks Beach skate park renamed in his honour.

William Baker was a 17 year old who loved skateboarding and was a member of the Eimeo Surf Life Saving Club, which will hold a paddle out tribute on Sunday in his memory.

Brenton Hawkins from Red Lotus Company is spearheading the movement to have the skate park renamed and a mural created Will’s Wall.

He has started a GoFundMe page towards the tribute to Will and to help with funeral costs – it has already raised $2150 in less than 24 hours.

“Will was a beautiful young soul that was taken to early and will be missed by many,” he said on the GoFundMe page.

“In his honour we are pushing to re-name the Blacks Beach Skate park the ‘William Baker Memorial Park’ along with a plaque of his dates and a custom mural painted on the (vertical) wall.”

Mr Hawkins said William was “the first person to drop it” on this wall and has deemed it “Will’s Wall.”

Tributes and messages at the Camilleri St skate park to Eimeo teen William Baker. Picture: Tara Miko

As part of a fundraising movement, Mr Hawkins said there would be a fundraising day in William’s memory to help with funeral costs and the mural.

“Come down, have a skate, show his family and friends some love and let’s celebrate the life of a rad young human being,” Mr Hawkins said.

The day will include skate lessons, mullets from HPHFM, a sausage sizzle and drinks, live music, games and more.

The teen died after a collision between a dirt bike and courtesy bus on Blacks Beach Rd at the intersection of Hancock St in Eimeo about 6.30pm Saturday, March 28, 2022. Picture: Tara Miko

When Mackay Regional Council was contacted in relation to the push to renamed the skate park, it said there was a policy with regards to memorials.

Council would consider any request received in line with that policy.

On Monday Red Lotus Company posted on social media that William’s family had asked them to break the tragic news to the skateboarding community.

“It has been a pleasure skateboarding with you Will and watching you grow into a rad young human being,” the post read.

“Rest easy little bro, we are thinking of you.”

William had been a longtime member of Eimeo Surf Life Saving Club.

Eimeo Surf Life Saving Club also posted a heartfelt tribute for the teen saying they were “saddened and shocked” to learn of his tragic death.

“Will was a long time member of the Eimeo SLSC along with his family, starting out as a young nipper and progressing through to a Bronze Medallion holder and volunteer patrol member,” the post read.

“He was a regular at Eimeo Beach for well over 10 years, whether he was patrolling and helping around the surf club, fishing, diving or just hanging out with mates.”

The club will hold a surfcraft vigil on Sunday “to remember the energetic young fella who graced us with his presence and was taken way too soon”.

William had been riding a Kawasaki dirt bike along Blacks Beach Rd on May 28 when, about 6.30pm, it and the Blacks Beach Tavern courtesy bus collided at the Hancock St intersection.

An off-duty nurse was among the first on scene and rendered assistance before paramedics arrived.

The teen was taken to Mackay Base Hospital with critical injuries and later passed away.

No people have been charged over the crash.

‘He wasn’t moving much at all’: Teen critical after motorbike and courtesy bus collide

A Blacks Beach man who was among the first on scene of a serious crash outside his home recalled seeing a teen rider lying on the ground with his motorbike “near wrapped around him”.

A 17-year-old Eimeo boy was critically injured and in hospital as police push for anyone with information about the collision between a dirt bike and courtesy bus to come forward.

Paramedics load a critically injured teen into an ambulance after a traffic collision between a Kawasaki dirt bike and the Blacks Beach Tavern courtesy bus. Picture: Tara Miko

Alex Readman and his wife Rhonda have lived at the corner of Blacks Beach Rd and Hancock St for about 2.5 years, and their quiet Saturday evening erupted when a serious crash occurred at their front door.

“We heard the scream of the motorbike coming from the roundabout … and all of a sudden, boom,” Mr Readman said.

Emergency crews were called to a two-vehicle crash involving a 2012 Toyota Hiace van and a Kawasaki dirt bike about 6.30pm Saturday at the Blacks Beach Rd and Hancock St intersection.

Alex Readman, who lived at the corner of Blacks Beach Rd and Hancock St was one of the first on scene following a serious traffic crash between a dirt bike and mini-van. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Mr Readman said he believed the rider had been travelling on Blacks Beach Rd when he and the Blacks Beach Tavern courtesy van collided.

“The (van’s sliding) door was caved right in,” Mr Readman said.

An off-duty nurse who had been travelling nearby performed CPR on the young rider on the roadside until paramedics arrived.

“The bike was pretty well near wrapped around him,” Mr Readman said.

“He wasn’t moving much at all.”

An off-duty nurse performed CPR on the teen before paramedics arrived on scene. Picture: Tara Miko

He said emergency crews treated the teen on the road until he was loaded into the ambulance and taken to Mackay Base Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Mr Readman said the teen had to be untangled from the dirt bike, which was then moved off the road.

A Queensland Ambulance Service release said the rider was taken to Mackay Base Hospital in “critical condition … with multiple traumatic injuries”.

As a result Blacks Beach Rd was closed in both directions and police, paramedics and fire crews were on scene.

The driver of the van, a 48-year-old Andergrove man was not physically injured.

Mr Readman said the driver was “a bit shaken at first, but got worse and worse”.

“I grabbed a chair and a blanket and that and sat him down,” Mr Readman said.

There had also been a passenger on the courtesy bus at the time, who was unharmed in the collision.

An Eimeo teen was rushed to hospital in a critical condition following a serious traffic crash between a dirt bike and mini-van at the Blacks Beach Rd and Hancock St intersection on May 28, 2022. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Forensic Crash Unit investigators are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam vision of the crash, or the moments leading up to it to contact police.

It is understood the dirt bike had no lights or registration number.

Mr Readman said other motorists who came along moments after the collision had said the motorbike rider had overtaken them on Eimeo Rd at speed.

“And it scared the life out of them because they couldn’t see him … there’s no lights or anything,” he said.

The speed limit on Blacks Beach Rd is 60km/h. Picture: Janessa Ekert

In his time living along Blacks Beach Rd Mr Readman said speed was an issue.

“It’s pretty wild hey,” he said.

“We could nearly do with a set of lights.”

The speed limit is 60km/h, which had been reduced from 80km/h a number of years ago.

Another resident who preferred to be nameless said it was very difficult to exit Hancock St across traffic because it was not safe.

She said drivers “come screaming down here” also indicating hooning was an issues in Hancock St.