Driver, 19, on the run after crash killed woman and unborn baby in horror scene at Newcastle

A 19-year-old driver is at large after a crash which killed a woman and her relative’s unborn baby in Newcastle, and left his two back-seat passengers fighting for life.

Police investigate at the scene of the crash in Newcastle. Picture: Newy 87.8FM Newcastle

A teenage driver is on the run after a crash which killed a woman and her relative’s unborn baby at Newcastle, and also left his two back seat passengers fighting for life.

Police said the 19-year-old man was behind the wheel of a Holden sedan when it crossed to the wrong side of the road at 2.40am on Sunday and collided head on with a Hyundai.

The passenger in that vehicle, a 55-year-old woman who only arrived in Australia three days earlier, died at the scene.

The driver, a 28-year-old female relative who was 25 weeks pregnant, suffered serious injuries. Tragically, her unborn baby could not be saved.

Northern Region Commander Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said police spotted the Holden being driven dangerously a short time before the crash, but didn’t initiate a pursuit for safety reasons.

The Hyundai driver was taken to John Hunter Hospital after the crash. Picture: Supplied

In the brief time that police lost sight of the vehicle, it crossed to the wrong side of a dual carriageway and slammed head on with the Hyundai.

Witnesses told police they saw the driver of the Holden and his 17-year-old female front seat passenger, who is the registered owner of the car, climb from the wreckage and run from the scene.

Police spent Sunday searching for the driver, who Mr Dunstan said was facing a raft of very serious charges including possible offences under Zoe’s Law, which related to the death of an unborn baby.

“The man we are looking for is very well-known to police ... so we will find him. But we’d like to think he might hand himself in beforehand,” he said.

Mr Dunstan described the crash scene as “one of the worst”, but praised his officers who went straight into life saving mode.

A pregnant 28-year-old woman’s baby died from injuries sustained in the collision. Picture: Newy 87.8FM Newcastle

“They did CPR on that woman and did everything they could to save her ... it was very traumatic for everyone who was there,” Mr Dunstan said.

Newcastle Rd residents who heard the crash happen said it resembled an explosion.

“It woke the whole house up...my husband ran outside and said it was so bad he could see smoke, and all these people running to help,” one woman wrote on social media.

The two teenage passengers in the back seat of the Holden were listed as being in a critical condition in the John Hunter Hospital.

One was suffering suspected spinal injuries, while the other was in an induced coma.

“You’d have to think the man we are looking for and his passenger can’t be in a good way either, this was a very, very serious crash,” Mr Dunstan said.

Police appealed for anyone with information about the crash, or with dashcam of the Holden around the time of the collision, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A critical incident team from Hunter Valley Police District will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The investigation will be reviewed by the Professional Standards Command with oversighted from the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

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Originally published as Driver, 19, on the run after crash killed woman and unborn baby in horror scene at Newcastle