Horror car crash on Northern Highway in Pyalong, central Victoria
UPDATE: THE family of an Echuca plumber killed with three other men in a horror car crash have told of their devastation at the “senseless loss”.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
UPDATE: THE family of an Echuca plumber killed with three other men in a horror car crash have told of their devastation at the “senseless loss”.
Corey Bray, 28, was one of four young men who died after the car they were travelling in swerved across a highway and into a wire barrier before becoming airborne and slamming into a tree near the small town of Pyalong north of Melbourne.
Killed with Mr Bray were Chris Reddin, 22, Nick Mongta and another man.
Corey Bray’s uncle Terry Bray said someone may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
“It’s a senseless loss,” he said.
“We are in shock. It sounds like it was just someone who fell asleep at the wheel... But we don’t know.”
Mr Bray worked with Corey for years at Echuca Moama Caravans, along with the young man’s father Ron who owns the business.
He said the family was struggling to comprehend the tragedy and were yet to be told the circumstances of the crash.
Mr Bray was described as fun-loving and hardworking who was popular in the town.
“He was a unique individual with a lot of friends.
“He was quite a philosopher and always had an opinion on things.”
Chris Reddin leaves behind son Logan, 3, and stepson Jamah, 8.
His partner of seven years, Paige Cemino, tearfully told the Herald Sun she didn’t know how to break the news of his death to her boys.
“It’s hard to explain to them,” the 23-year-old said.
“They don’t understand.”
Ms Cemino, the boys and Mr Reddin’s stepfather Greg Ibbs, 59, this afternoon travelled to the stretch of road where their loved one died to try and piece together how the tragedy unfolded.
They said Mr Reddin was born and bred in Echuca and had worked a number of jobs, including as a shearer, over the years.
“He was a good person,” Ms Cemino said.
Mr Ibbs said his stepson was a good father to Logan and Jamah. He said Logan was a “dead ringer” for his dad.
“He looked after them pretty well,” Mr Ibbs said.
Mr Ibbs said Mr Reddin’s mum had been devastated by his death: “She’s not real good.”
Ms Cemino said she had grown up with Mr Reddin and his mate Nick Mongta.
Mr Mongta’s dad Walter said the group of mates drove to Melbourne in Nick’s car on Tuesday morning for a belated Australia Day catch-up with friends.
But one of Nick’s brothers said he believed Nick had been sleeping in a passenger seat when a phone call was made to the car’s occupants during their drive back.
Nick had a ten month old daughter Cailey to a former partner.
“It sounds like fatigue was a factor,” Mr Mongta said.
“He was a fine young gentleman, his younger brothers and sisters looked up to him.
“He loved his motorbike riding and his cars.”
Shire of Campaspe mayor Cr Leigh Wilson said the impact of the crash will be severely felt through the community.
“The loss of such young lives will have a smashing impact,” he said.
“It’s going to leave a mark in this community and take a good deal of time to move on from this.
“We need to take a leadership role, all of us, and encourage our kids, our younger brothers and sisters, our colleagues and friends, to be careful on the road.
“These are our future and we are losing them.”
Assistant Commissioner for road policing Robert Hill has described the crash site as “one of the worst (he had) seen” during his time in the role.
Mr Hill said the car was travelling north along the highway — which has a speed limit of 100km/h — approaching Pyalong when the driver lost control.
“For one reason or another, (the car) has not taken that left-hand bend and just travelled virtually straight along the road,” Mr Hill said.
“The car has careered to the right-hand side and travelled off the road.
“It has struck ... the commencement of a wire road barrier. It then travelled airborne for some distance and then has crashed into a tree after rolling.
“The roof of the vehicle has actually struck the tree.”
Mr Hill could not say for sure that the driver had been a probationary driver, just that a P-plate had been found near the car.
He said police believed they had been driving from the Melbourne metropolitan area — possibly Craigieburn — to Echuca-Moama when they crashed.
They were driving in a 2001 Holden V8 SS Commodore, registered to a non-immediate relative of one of the victims who lived in Echuca.
Mr Hill could not confirm which man was driving, but said the car was “one of those vehicles that we do not allow probationary drivers to drive”.
“It is a shocking scene — one of the worst I’ve been in my time as the assistant commissioner for road policing,” Mr Hill said.
“It is something that certainly will stay with me for some time.”
Mr Hill said whether fatigue, alcohol or drugs were factors would be investigated. He said no alcohol containers had been found at the crash site.
“There’s no indication the car was travelling at excessive speed, but that’s just a preliminary finding that our crash reconstructions have determined,” Mr Hill said.
“If you drive along a highway at 100km/h and you leave that roadway and crash into a tree, it will more than likely end in fatal consequences.”
The Major Collision Investigation Unit, the Disaster Victim Identification Unit and other emergency services are on site.
Mr Hill said police had not yet spoken to any witnesses, just a number of people who had rushed to the site soon after the accident.
“We also have a number of people contact police who heard the incident unfold,” he said.
Mr Hill said this year’s road toll — which has now risen to 22 — was concerning.
“We’ve seen four people lose their lives in circumstances that could have been avoided,” he said.
“This is tragic ... for the families that have lost loved ones, this is tragic for the community here in Pyalong, the community where these people have lived. It’s tragic for our emergency services.
“We have four families now that will be grieving. They’ll be grieving today, tomorrow and for their lifetime.
“We didn’t have any fatalities (over the Australia Day weekend) and now, in one fell swoop, we have four people killed.”
