Tackle the toll: Dale Lewis tells the memory of the crash that killed his twin brother

DALE Lewis is the face of the rural road toll, however he’s not one of the 150 people killed on country roads last year. But he need only look in the mirror to be confronted with the deadly reality of that statistic.

Dale Lewis (22) is pictured with a portrait of his twin Mark. Picture: Jason Sammon

DALE Lewis is the face of the rural road toll.

He’s not one of the 150 people killed on country roads last year.

But he need only look in the mirror to be confronted with the deadly reality of that statistic.

On October 7, the young tradie endured the heartache and helplessness of watching his identical twin Mark trapped by their ute after it crashed and rolled off a 12m drop into the Bunyip River, off a back road in Gippsland.

“It was the scariest night of my life,” Dale, 22, said.

“I lost everything that day.

Dale Lewis at the roadside memorial for his twin brother Mark. Picture: Jason Sammon

“We looked the same, we did everything together, we were inseparable.”

Through tears, Dale this week relived the memory of having to leave his brother trapped, drowning, under the wreckage so he could run for help.

In the pitch black, he had dived into the deep water and grabbed onto his brother’s leg.

“I tried to pull him out,” Dale said.

“I went up for oxygen and came back down — he wasn’t moving.

“There was nothing I could do … I ran to the top (of the bank) and called triple-0.”

Country drivers continue to be the most at risk on the road, with rural tragedies rising 9 per cent in the last year. More than half of the 291 lives lost on Victorian roads in 2016 were in regional areas.

Dale wants other motorists to know not just how to avoid a crash, but what to do after one.

“Instinct is you get out of the car, but Mark would still be here if he didn’t,” he said.

That tragic night started like any other quiet Friday for the brothers: knock-off work beers and Xbox at the Iona home of Dale and partner Jacinta.

A photo of Mark at Dale's home with candles and Star Wars characters. Picture: Jason Sammon

Handyman Mark, an aspiring diesel mechanic, was helping around the house.

About 9.30pm, the brothers decided to visit friends. Mark drove because he had drunk only two beers, Dale said.

But Mark wasn’t used to driving those “back roads”. Heavy rain meant potholes. Rounding a tight bend of Evans Rd set off a deadly chain of events.

“It’s a 100kmh road, we were going about 80 and I said slow down, there’s a corner coming up,” Dale said.

“This road, only people who live around here would be used to it.

“We felt the car jolt, we must have hit a pothole ... the car fishtailed.”

The ute stopped momentarily on the edge of the embankment, then dropped sideways and rolled two or three times 12m down to the river’s edge.

The men were unhurt, but the danger wasn’t over.

“My brother said sorry about the car, and I was like don’t worry about the car — we’re fine,” Dale said.

“Disorientated, we both tried hopping out … the car rolled, pinning him underneath the water.”

It took rescue crews eight hours to find Mark.

Dale doesn’t drive that route to work anymore. But he goes sometimes to drink a beer with Mark, beside a cross adorned with photos and Star Wars memorabilia.

The family believes Mark’s life could have been saved by road barriers and better warning signs.

Dale said the tragedy was also a wake-up call that drivers have to check conditions — that the speed limit was not the only consideration.

“We always thought, us two together, we were practically invincible,” Dale said.

@AndieHamblin