Lake Tabourie: Man, woman, child dead in NSW south coast crash

Police are investigating whether fatigue was the cause of a single-vehicle crash where a man, woman and five-year-old boy died near Ulladulla, on the NSW south coast, early Saturday.

Police are investigating whether fatigue is to blame in a horrific car crash that claimed three lives on the Easter long weekend.

Investigators were on Saturday trying to confirm the relationships between the woman, man and young boy who were all killed when their unregistered car hit a tree.

The silver Honda Accord was travelling on the Princes Hwy at Lake Tabourie, 13km south of Ulladulla, when it veered off the road and slammed into a gumtree at 4.30am on Saturday.

Nearby residents ran out of their homes to help but the woman, who was driving, the man and boy died at the scene.

The woman was 43 years old, the man aged 47, and the boy was five years old.

It is believed the man was the boy’s father and the group had travelled from Narooma, and was heading north.

There was a fourth passenger, a man who sustained serious injuries and was taken to Milton Hospital in a critical condition.

Three people, including a five-year-old boy, died in the single-vehicle crash. Picture: TNV

Emergency services at the scene of the triple fatal crash. Picture: Loren Toncini

He was later flown to Canberra Hospital and his condition had improved on Saturday afternoon.

Resident Bill Riddle said he rushed out to the road after hearing a thud.

“I saw the smoke coming out of the car up against the tree over there,” he told 7 News.

“It was a terrible sight, it was a terrible thing.

“There was a man in the passenger seat yelling and screaming ‘get me out, get me out’.

“I opened the driver’s door and it looked like the driver was deceased to me …

“I looked in the back and there was a little boy in the back and I think he was deceased as well.”

Investigators were urgently trying to identify the victims’ family after discovering the car was owned by someone else.

It is understood the car was also uninsured.

“We don’t have a firm indication of what caused the crash at this point but certainly can’t rule out factors including fatigue,” South Coast Police District Greg Moore said.

“We are working hard to identify all the individuals involved and as soon as we can establish their identities, liaising with the next of kin.”

The highway was closed for hours on Saturday as police investigated. Picture: TNV

There were no tyre marks on the road, suggesting there had been no effort to brake before the car hit the tree.

The highway was closed for several hours while emergency services examined the scene and the car was towed.

Meanwhile in Sydney’s south, a woman was killed on Friday night in another single-vehicle accident.

The 46-year-old woman was a passenger in a white Hyundai i30 when it hit a power pole on Ramsgate Rd at Ramsgate about 8.20pm.

She died in hospital while the driver, a 64-year-old man, suffered spinal injuries.

The man was being treated in St George Hospital.

On Saturday afternoon, a motorbike rider died after slamming into a parked truck in Blacktown.

The 57-year-old was rushed to hospital but died on arrival.

And in another incident, a 49-year-old motorcyclist was hospitalised after crashing into a car in the Blue Mountains on Saturday.

The man, who was on a holiday tour from interstate, was thrown from his bike when he collided with another vehicle.

He sustained serious injuries including a fractured leg and was taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.

No one else was injured in the crash.