Four uni mates sent Snapchat videos in lead up to crash
New details have emerged outlining how the four ‘beautiful kids’ were spending their day, in the led up to a horror crash that claimed their lives on Saturday afternoon.
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New details have emerged outlining how the four “beautiful kids” were spending their day, in the lead up to a horror crash that claimed their lives on Saturday afternoon.
University students Lochlan Parker, 20, Katrina McKeogh, 21, Courtney Smith, 20 and Kirsten Van Gorp, 22 were expected to be back in Brisbane in time for dinner after travelling to the Gold Coast Hinterland for a day trip, according to a friends mother.
A Sunshine Coast woman, who didn’t want to be named said her daughter shared an apartment with Courtney and Kirsten in Brisbane and has been left traumatised by their deaths.
The four university students reunited for the semester break and were on their way to
the Natural Bridge in the Springbrook National
Park when the car they were travelling in collided with an oncoming ute.
Initial reports indicated the driver lost control around a bend on Nerang-Murwillumbah Road at Advancetown about 1pm on Saturday, with heavy rainfall suspected to be a major contributing factor.
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All four died at the scene, while the 31-year-old male driver of the ute was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital with minor injuries.
The housemate’s mother said Lochlan and Katrina were staying at her daughters Brisbane apartment during their holiday from Townsville to visit Courtney.
She said her daughter had been tracking the whereabouts of the four students via Snapchat in the lead up to the crash until they “just dropped off and there was no more posts”.
She said it was a “freak accident” that couldn’t have happened to a more undeserving group of friends.
“There was no speed or anything like that it was just the sheer amount of rain that came down extraordinarily,” she said.
“They’re not into alcohol, they’re not into drugs.
“They were all good examples of young people.”
The housemate’s mother said her daughter has been left ‘haunted’ by the crash and hasn’t been able to return home where the crash victims’ belongings remain.
“Their bags are still there (Lochlan and Katrina’s),” she said.
“We’ll have to go back in coming weeks, all their (Courtney and Kirsten’s) stuff is in the apartment – it was their home.
“The girls (her daughter and friends) are haunted by it, I do know that the families are really struggling too (and) they’ve been getting support through the police.”
The housemate’s mother said she met her daughter’s housemates a number of times and Courtney had been to her house for family dinners.
She said everyone was in disbelief.
“Courtney was just such a gorgeous, beautiful girl and this is the first thing that stands out when you meet her,” she said.
“She was absolutely wonderful, she was so bubbly.
“And Kirsten too, these were young university students whose idea of fun was hanging out on the couch together.”
Townsville woman Sally Burgess said her daughter was also an engineering student at JCU and was struggling to process news of Lochlan and Katrina’s death.
“Shes not sure if she can face going back to uni,” she said.
“The whole engineering community are devastated.
“It really hit home for me as it could have easily been my daughter.”
A spokesman for JCU released a statement in response to the tragic loss of three of its students.
“JCU will be providing support to staff and students impacted by this accident," the spokesman said.
“Our deepest sympathies go to the students’ families at this time.”
Originally published as Four uni mates sent Snapchat videos in lead up to crash