Beverly Hills: Five teens hurt in another Sydney horror crash

Five teenagers have been hospitalised after a car crash in Sydney’s south just over a week after five youngsters lost their lives in a horror collision at Buxton, prompting an angry warning from police.

Five teenagers have been hospitalised after a suspended learner driver smashed into a pole in Sydney’s south, just over a week after five youngsters lost their lives in a horror collision at Buxton.

About 6am on Friday, emergency services responded to a single-vehicle crash on Stoney Creek Rd in Beverly Hills where a Honda Accord carrying five young people had struck a power pole.

The driver – aged 18 – is believed to have been speeding, then spun out and hit a brick wall before colliding with the pole.

The crash bore freakish similarities to the crash at Buxton which shocked Sydney – prompting police to issue a stern warning to young drivers.

“We have a direct correlation to what happened just days ago at Buxton. We are most fortunate that we didn’t lose another five lives in these circumstances,” Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said.

Emergency services at the scene of the Beverly Hills crash. Picture: TNV

“It comes back to the drivers – in both instances we have two 18-year-old drivers. These are adults that are taking responsibility for young people in their car.

“We shouldn’t be aspiring to be driving like these absolute idiots on the road.

The accident triggered a multi-agency response from police, Fire and Rescue NSW and paramedics. Picture: TNV

Police at the scene of the accident on Friday. Picture: Julian Andrews

The crash happened just hours before the funeral of Lily Van De Putte who was killed alongside four of her friends when a car they were in collided with a tree in Buxton last week.

The Nissan Navara they were travelling in ploughed into a tree on East Pde at Buxton, near Picton in southwest Sydney, just after 8pm last Tuesday, resulting in their deaths.

The teenage victims, who were all friends and attended Picton High School, have since been identified as Lily Van De Putte, Tyrese Bechard, Gabriella McLennan, Antonio Desisto, and Summer Williams.

The driver behind the wheel of the Nissan at the time, 18-year-old Tyrell Edwards, survived and suffered non life-threatening injuries.

Emergency workers attended another confronting scene. Picture: TNV

Mr Edwards was later charged with five counts of dangerous driving occasioning death – driving in a manner dangerous, and will face the NSW Supreme Court on Monday to bid for his release.

Assistant Commissioner McFadden said the community “hadn’t even had a chance to grieve” the losses at Buxton before another teen driver acted dangerously on the road.

“Even two days after the Buxton crash, we stopped an 18-year-old, provisional green P-plater driver travelling at 191 kilometres an hour with two young people in the car with them,” he said.

“We were able to stop and prevent any tragedy from happening for that one (but) unfortunately, we can‘t be there all the time for everybody, so it’s a community challenge that we need to actually work on here.”

The crash bore freakish similarities to the collision at Buxton which shocked Sydney last week. Picture: TNV

Police confirmed the driver in the Beverly Hills crash was a suspended learner – and were investigating why he was out at 6am with the other four young people.

One neighbour told The Saturday Telegraph the driver stumbled out in shock about 6am as his passengers struggled to get out of the car.

“I had only just managed to get to sleep when I heard it,” the neighbour said.

The driver and another front seat male passenger, aged 15, escaped the wreckage relatively unscathed, reporting minor injuries to the wrist and back respectively.

Another 16-year-old male passenger remained trapped in the back of the vehicle suffering minor head injuries before emergency services cut the doors off to set him free.

A close up of the wreckage at Beverly Hills where five teens were injured. Picture: FRNSW

All three boys were taken to Liverpool hospital for observation and were in a stable condition.

Two female passengers, both aged 16, were also seriously wounded.

One girl sustained significant damage to her hip and chest, and another girl suffered a severe head injury and a laceration to her neck.

Both were transported to St George hospital in serious but stable conditions.

Assistant Commissioner McFadden said the driver was undergoing drug and alcohol testing and remained under police guard in hospital.

Opposition roads spokesman John Graham said Labor supported a review into laws governing P-platers, including speed and passengerlimits, after both sides of NSW politics indicated their willingness to meet with the families of the Buxton crash victimsto discuss stricter penalties for young drivers.

“We support a review,” he said.

“We are still hopeful that the government will change their mind and consider this. We are open to working with them. It istime for a fresh look at the rules for P plate drivers.”

Roads Minister Natalie Ward said the state government was considering options to improve road safety.

“We recognise this is an exceptionally difficult time for the families impacted by these events,” she said.
“Our government takes the issue of road safety incredibly seriously and we are actively considering options in this space.”