Mackay Whitsunday Isaac fatal crashes: The faces of 2023’s horror road toll
A Kuttabul man who tragically died in a freak accident after he was struck by his own vehicle towing a caravan is the 15th fatality for our patch this year. These are the tragic stories of 2023’s road toll.
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A Pioneer Valley man who died on Father’s Day, a desperate parent who went searching for their missing son only to find them upside down in the driver’s seat.
These are the tragic realities behind two of the many fatal road crashes across the Mackay district this year.
Since January 16, 15 people have died.
Detective Inspector Emma Novosel, after the death of 24-year-old Oscar Jensen in the Whitsundays, said police were at a loss to understand why road safety messages were not getting through to drivers who were privileged to be on the roads.
“I’m not sure why people continue to put themselves at risk,” she said, adding the tragedies were hurting families, communities, and first responders alike.
Scroll to see the full list of fatals this year.
15th death - October 1
The 73 year old had been travelling on Pinnacle Station Rd in Mia Mia Forest when the terrible incident occurred.
14th death - September 16
David 'Dirty' Collins, 71, died on the way to hospital after a blue Toyota Corolla collided with the motorbike he was riding on Saturday, September 16 at Yalboroo.
The driver and only occupant of the car, a 28-year-old New South Wales man, was not physically injured and is currently assisting police with investigations.
13th death - September 3
A 45-year-old man from Owens Creek in the Pioneer Valley died in hospital following a crash between his 4WD and a truck and trailer on Saraji Road near Dysart on September 3.
Police stated the truck driver was unharmed.
12th death – August 27
Doting Moranbah father James Rolph, 46, died in a horror crash at Moranbah on Sunday, August 27.
Initial police investigations showed Rolph’s prime mover was headed southbound along Moranbah Access Rd, near Cunningham Way, about 9.40am before it crashed with a road train track travelling northbound.
“(Rolph) was declared deceased at the scene,” the QPS statement said.
11th death – August 20
A 67-year-old Dingo Beach man died in a horror crash near Airlie Beach, after his Nissan X-Trail collided with a Mitsubishi ute on Strathdickie Rd at Strathdickie.
The driver of the Mitsubishi, a 43-year-old Riodoranvale woman, was flown to Townsville hospital for treatment for spinal injuries.
10th death – August 10
On August 10, a 74-year-old Strathdickie man died when his red Holden ute veered into a truck with a semi-trailer along the Bruce Highway at Proserpine near the Glen Isla Rd turn-off about 8.30pm.
Det Insp Novosel said witnesses indicated that both drivers had applied their brakes “and tried to take evasive action” but the impact was “horrific”.
9th death – July 19
On July 19, 24-year-old Gregory River resident Oscar Jensen died when his Toyota LandCruiser ute rolled five times on Dingo Beach Rd just before 6.30pm.
He had been driving home from a pub when his vehicle “unexplainably left the road”.
8th death – July 11
On July 11, 50-year-old Bentley Parsgaard, who was a passenger in a ute, died when the car he was travelling in collided with a coal train at crossing 3285 on Peter Delemothe Road, west of Bowen about 9pm.
The train pierced the ute the men were travelling in, dragging the vehicle about 600m down the tracks.
7th death – July 11
Just after 7am, Gavin Hussey, 47, died when the Mitsubishi Lancer he was driving collided with a cement truck at a bend in the roadway on Shute Harbour Rd near Myrtle Creek.
The crash blocked the major thoroughfare from Cannonvale to Proserpine for four hours.
6th death – July 3
A Mackay woman, originally from Hungary, died on July 3 after the Mitsubishi she was travelling in left a straight section of the Bruce Highway for unknown reasons about 2km south of the Waverly Creek rest area near St Lawrence.
The car rolled coming to rest on its wheels.
The driver, her partner, had been planning to propose.
5th death – May 27
A 64-year-old Marian man, Mark Turner, died after his truck rolled on the Peak Downs Highway west of Mackay and crashed into a tree on May 25.
The truck caught on fire and came to rest about 20m from the road with a member of the public reporting the incident to triple-0.
The father of four “was never too busy to lend a hand” and his loved ones “will forever wish everyone had the chance to meet (him)”.
4th death – May 20
A 40-year-old died after a truck struck him on the Bruce Highway in Clarview in the morning of May 20.
It’s understood the man was hit near the Brandy Bottle Camping and Recreation Reserve, a popular spot for travellers in the Isaac region.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
3rd death – May 3
An elderly Jubilee Pocket man died in hospital after suffering critical injuries in a crash with an e-scooter at Airlie Beach on April 19.
The 83-year-old man had been riding a red Kawasaki motorcycle when it collided with the e-scooter along Shute Harbour Rd about 4.15pm.
2nd death – February 1
Bowen man Tiege Close was behind the wheel of a blue SUV that had been stolen from a Mount Pleasant home days earlier when it collided head on with a B-double truck on the Bruce Highway between Proserpine and Mackay on February 1.
The driver of the B-double, a 31-year-old man, was treated at the scene for shock.
1st death – January 16
A 31-year-old Nebo man was travelling home when he lost control of the vehicle, which left the Peak Downs Highway on the night of January 16.
In a devastating twist, it was later revealed it was the victim’s own father who discovered the tragedy.
What are your thoughts on the road toll? Write to mackay@news.com.au
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