Jimmy Bowie and Ben Grahame mourned by communities after double-fatal crash near Beaudesert
Two communities are grappling to come to terms with the deaths of two 17-year-olds killed in a horror head-on crash near Brisbane on Sunday night.
Two tight-knit communities are in shock as they come to terms with the deaths of two teen boys killed in a horror head-on crash southwest of Brisbane.
Police continue to investigate the collision between a 4WD ute and sedan at Birnam, near Beaudesert, on Sunday night, killing Jimmy Bowie, from Palen Creek, and Ben Grahame, from Ormeau.
Both boys were aged just 17.
Jimmy‘s death has rocked the small community, particularly classmates at Beaudesert State High School.
They spent much of Tuesday at the crash scene, where they’ve created a memorial.
Dozens of bunches of flowers have been laid at the base of a tree along Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd to honour their mate, as well as a school uniform shirt with written messages.
It’s understood the school cancelled classes for grieving students and arranged a bus to take them to the memorial.
Jimmy’s older sister, Mallora Bowie, said the 17-year-old’s death had rocked their family.
“A moment in time that we will never forget. A location on a road that will always bring sorrow for us now,” Ms Bowie said.
“A son taken, a brother lost, but a young man who will not be forgotten.
“Your zest for life was unlimited and contagious. Your energy touched the lives of many in the community and it will leave a mark remembered by all.
“You had so much to achieve in this life, so much joy and compassion to share with others. Your hard work ethic and passion would have taken you to wherever you wanted to go.
“These traits you held were traits that made us so proud of you, making great decisions on your own and setting your life up for something that would have been great no doubt.
“Alas we know the world is not fair, and for us, we must remember you as our little chef, forever 17.”
Jimmy’s local gym, Snap Fitness Beaudesert also shared a tribute to him on their social media.
“You were such a joy to be around and you will be truly missed by everyone at the club,” it wrote.
A My Cause fundraiser set up to raise funds for Jimmy’s family has raised more than $14,000.
Family friend of Mr Grahame, Candy Looman, paid tribute to the teen on Facebook.
“Where do I start, Ben was a very much loved and treasured family member who was charismatic, funny, the life of the party and a big softie on the inside,” Ms Looman wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“As you can imagine no one was prepared for this and especially not his mum who is self employed and runs a local family day care business in Ormeau.
A witness and his son, who ran to help, told The Courier-Mail how Ben wasn’t alone in his final moments.
“We bolted. As soon as we got close we could hear some screams. I ran as fast as I could,” the father said.
“He looked at us and knew we were there fighting with him, he knew there were people fighting for him.
“So that was a good thing, he knew he wasn’t on his own. Where the flames parted for a second and the air rushed in, it was like he got a breath of fresh air.”
He said everyone was chanting “go man, get out of there, go for it.”
He said there wasn’t much more they could do.
“Hopefully it will give his family a bit of hope, knowing there were people helping him.”
The man said they also tried helping Jimmy but struggled with the position of the other 17-year-old.
Another witness said the crash occurred after one of the cars tried to overtake a slow vehicle on a “blind hill”, smashing head-on into the oncoming car.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash, with detectives asking any witnesses or anyone with relevant CCTV or dashcam footage from the area at the time of the crash to contact police.
The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating.
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Originally published as Jimmy Bowie and Ben Grahame mourned by communities after double-fatal crash near Beaudesert
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