Four die in two separate Stuart Highway crashes in horror day on NT roads

A driver has died after colliding with a road train, just hours after three people died in a serious two car collision on the Stuart Highway earlier on Friday. READ THE LATEST.

A second fatal crash has been recorded on a Northern Territory highway just hours after three people lost their lives in a crash on Friday afternoon.

About 8pm Friday police advised that the Stuart Highway was closed at Renner Springs due to a 'serious crash involving multiple vehicles'. 

Police said a road train transporting cattle collided with a sedan about 40km south of Elliott about 5pm.

The driver of the sedan died at the scene, while the road train driver was taken to Tennant Creek Hospital to be assessed.

Some of the livestock in the truck were badly injured and had to be euthanised.

The highway was closed in both directions, with delays expected to continue until 12pm Saturday.

Friday night's crash came fewer than 12 hours after a triple fatality, involving two vehicles, occurred 60km north of Pine Creek near the Hayes Creek Roadhouse about 12.30pm.

Assistant Commissioner Matt Hollamby described the Northern Territory's rising road toll as 'horrific' at a press conference addressing the triple fatality.

The two crashes has brought 2024 fatality count to 39 - nine of which have occured in July alone.

He said police had not confirmed the cause of the earlier crash as of 3pm.

However, he did confirm the crash was a head on collision between two cars, with trailers, travelling in opposite directions. 

“It’s horrific, people are dying,” he said.

“I don’t know what else we can do with it, but we’re going to do as best as we can to not allow any more people to die on our roads.

“The fatal five, please remember those, because they are the leading contributing causes of fatal crashes in the Northern Territory.”

He said the road deaths, which were more than five times the number of that this time last year, had a huge impact on emergency services.

“It’s really hard for police, it’s really hard for first responders and it’s really hard for the community to hear this news,” he said.

“We’ve lost another three people in the Northern Territory on our roads.

“Just please be safe in the road and take care, it just takes a fraction of a second between nothing happening and a fatal crash.”

Police urge anyone with dashcam footage, who was travelling on the Stuart Highway in the area of either crash to make contact with police on 131 444.

The Territory road toll has climbed significantly in recent weeks with nine deaths since the start of July bringing the 2024 total to 39.

It’s a major rise from 2023, with the road toll at seven this time last year for an eventual total of 31.

Originally published as Four die in two separate Stuart Highway crashes in horror day on NT roads