Safety plea issued after eight deaths and a spate of crashes across the state
Eight people have died in a horror spate of incidents on Queensland roads in the past week. The lives were lost in separate crashes across the state, prompting an urgent safety plea from first responders.
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Eight lives were lost on Queensland roads over the past week, leaving emergency services frustrated that their safety plea's just aren’t getting through to motorists.
The state’s road toll has skyrocketed to 234 - 16 more than this time last year.
The shocking figures include 53 deaths from those riding motorcycles, mopeds or pillion passengers and another 100 driver fatalities.
Forensic Crash Unit Sergeant Carl Cutler is pleading with drivers to “make him unemployed”.
The senior investigator says he would love to be in a position where crash investigators were no longer needed.
“As a crash investigator, the scene itself is obviously traumatic but the as a crash investigator you know you have a task to do so you concentrate on gathering the information that you’ve got to do,” he said.
“It’s probably after you leave the scene that more personal trauma I guess occurs.
“It’s the realisation that this was a person, there’s going to be that person’s loved ones who are now going to be crushed and devastated by a police officer telling them that this has happened.
“As a crash investigator, I now will have a relationship with that family until the investigation is completed.”
Sgt Cutler says he can still remember the first fatal traffic crash he attended.
“I can close my eyes and smell the hot oil on the cold asphalt in the middle of the night,” he said.
“I have so many sensory memories of that scene and unfortunately the hundreds more there have been since that time in the last nearly 30 years.”
He says he doesn’t use the term “accident” anymore.
“The word accident implies that ‘oh that’s just one of those things that happen’, in my time as a crash investigator I would say there’s only been one time where it’s been an actual accident,” Sgt Cutler said.
“Crashes happen because someone does something they shouldn’t do or someone doesn’t do something they should do – that’s the only reason that crashes happen.
“It’s frustrating when we go to a crash and we’ve got someone who we can prove was speeding drinking talking on the phone.
“We can talk until we’re blue in the face to people, we can give them the messages about how to stay alive but the motorists need to take responsibility for themselves.”
Sgt Cutler said the buck stops with the person behind the wheel.
“To save us the trauma of having to deal with the crashes and to save their loved ones the trauma of having to go through losing them – just concentrate on those things that we want you to do,” he said.
Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Matthew Davis says road accidents, whether fatalities or not, take a toll on frontline workers.
“As much as attending these accidents takes an emotional toll, I think frustration is probably the primary emotion that a lot of us fee,” he said.
“Particularly when you go to cases where there is speed involved or people that are driving that are intoxicated or under the influence, arguably these accidents could have been avoided and I think that’s the biggest single source of frustration.”
The paramedic of more than a decade says traffic accidents of any nature are confronting for QAS staff.
“Paramedics go into the profession because by nature they’re all caring and empathetic people and to be confronted with loss of life and really significant traumatic injuries (is hard),” Mr Davis said.
“Knowing in the background this could have been avoided if people had taken more care or been more diligent in what they do, it’s extremely frustrating.
“The message just doesn’t seem to be getting through.
“The cumulative effect of stress and particularly traumatic cases, it builds and it can lead to burnout.”
A teenage boy died in a single vehicle crash on the Gold Coast on Wednesday, after it’s believed his car crashed into a power pole.
The 17-year-old’s blue Ford was found crashed in bushland off Quinzeh Creek Rd at Cedar Creek.
According to the Queensland Police Service, preliminary information suggests the vehicle was travelling in a north-westerly direction when it left the road and crashed into a wooden power pole.
Tributes have been flowing for Mackay man Brendan Moreland after he was fatally struck during his shift just after 4am on October 26,
Mr Moreland, 35, was moving traffic cones on the Ron Camm Bridge when he was hit.
Bystanders performed first aid but tragically Mr Moreland died at the scene.
Police have charged Tristan James Watson, allegeding he was driving a stolen grey Toyota RAV4 when Mr Moreland was fatally struck.
A 45-year-old Drinan man was killed in a single-vehicle crash near Gladstone.
A member of the community alerted emergency services to a black dual cab ute in bushland at Mount Maria.
Preliminary investigations suggest the crash occurred when the ute was travelling south, left the road and crashed into a tree off Tableland Rd.
Another motorcyclist was killed in Morayfield on Sunday morning after a multi-vehicle crash.
A dual cab travelling north on Grant Rd and began to turn left into Beacon St when it was struck in the side by a motorcycle also travelling north on Grant Rd.
The motorcycle then struck a sedan which was stationary on Beacon St waiting to turn right into Grant Rd.
48-year-old Brisbane man Ariki Evans was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital but died shortly after arrival.
On Saturday morning, 27-year-old Ascot man Jessi Davis died following a motorcycle crash at Wyaralong in the Scenic Rim.
The incident happened just after 9.30am, when the motorcycle crashed into a guardrail on Wyaralong Dam Access Road west of Beaudesert.
The Forensic Crash Unit is urging anyone with information to come forward.
Police are also investigating after a 74-year-old man died after being hit by a car on the Gold Coast on Sunday morning.
The man was crossing two lanes on Christine Ave, Varsity Lakes, when he was struck by a vehicle travelling west about 8.45am.
The Palm Beach man was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The 80-year-old male driver of the vehicle was not physically injured during the incident.
A Sunshine Coast man has been charged and was refused bail after allegedly “showing callous disregard” and fleeing the scene of an accident at Morayfield.
Two men were killed on October 22 after the moped they were riding was allegedly hit from behind.
Caboolture South men Jared Hoggan, 30, and Simon Fergestad, 32, were travelling east on Caboolture River Rd, Morayfield, about 9.10pm on Friday night when they were allegedly hit by a vehicle driven by Mr Page.
The moped was knocked into a stationary 4WD that was sitting on Kenneth St, waiting to turn into Caboolture River Rd.
Mr Fergestad tragically died at the scene.
Mr Hoggan passed away in hospital on October 23.
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