Beloved NSW couple killed in horror Easter crash

A beloved NSW couple has died after their ute was hit in a horror head-on collision that claimed four lives on Easter Friday.

A beloved NSW couple has died after their ute was hit in a horror head-on collision that claimed four lives on Good Friday — amid a horror holiday road death spike.

Drivers are being urged to be cautious over the Easter long weekend after six people died in fatal crashes in what NSW Police are calling a “horrific” period on our roads

Yass woman Dianne Perry, 52, was killed instantly when the Mitsubishi Triton ute she was driving was struck by a Ford Ranger ute that had crossed onto the wrong side of the Barton highway at Jeir. Her husband Craig, 54, died at the scene shortly after.

Witnesses told police the Ford was “swerving in its lane prior to veering across double lines” before colliding heavily with the couple’s car not far from their home.

A beloved NSW couple has died after their ute was hit in a horror head-on collision that claimed four lives on Easter Friday. Picture: Facebook.

The crash happened at about 6:45am in heavy rain on Good Friday near Casuarina Lane at Jeir, about 30km southeast of Yass and halfway between the ACT village of Hall and the NSW town of Murrumbateman.

Emergency services from the ACT and NSW, including three rescue helicopters, arrived shortly after the collision.

The driver of the Ford and his rear-seat passenger were trapped in the wreckage and treated at the scene by paramedics. They were eventually extricated from the vehicle with the help of NSW Fire and Rescue.

Both men died at the scene.

The front-seat passenger of the Ford miraculously survived. He was extricated from the vehicle and rushed to Canberra hospital in a critical condition.

The couple were travelling not far from their home. Picture: Facebook.

A local said the crash had “devastated” the tight-knit commit. Picture: Facebook.

Police sources say the occupants of the vehicle, all in their 20s, did not all have personal identification on them, so investigators are frantically trying to ID them through other means. Citizenship papers suggest they reside in Wentworth.

A police officer from the Yass local area command said the tragedy would have “deep ramifications” for the tight-knit Southern Tablelands community.

“It’s tragic when locals are involved in an Easter tragedy on the first day of the long weekend,” he said.

One local resident, Barton Estate Wines owner Julie Chitty, told The Daily Telegraph the crash was “devastating” for the regional area.

“It’s just awful — four people killed,” she said.

“Barton Hwy is the main corridor from Canberra out to Yass and beyond, and on this stretch it’s just a single lane highway in both directions …

“We’re a tight-knit community — this is just devastating for the families involved, whether they are locals or from outside the area.

“You worry about driving on the road because of the conditions — personally I have a son on P-plates and a daughter on Ls and it’s a real worry. There’s always someone in more of a rush than they need to be, especially during short breaks like Easter where everyone is rushing to get to their destinations.”

Police and three rescue helicopters arrived at the scene. Picture: OnScene ACT

Two men, both in their 20s, also died and are yet to be identified. Picture: OnScene ACT

Ms Chitty, whose 220-acre property fronts the Barton Highway at Jeir, said it was a “horror” stretch of road that had seen its “fair share of accidents and near misses”.

“Millions is being spent by the government on the duplication of the highway — to turn it into a dual-lane highway — but this section has not started yet,” she said.

“There’s more and more traffic coming through and there’s regular accidents, some of them fatal, and that’s not to mention all the near misses.

“It’s the nature of having a main highway cutting through what are essentially rural properties.”

On Friday afternoon Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman, said the family of the couple had been notified.

“Our thoughts are with the family, the friends and the local community that will no doubt feel the impact of these deaths,” she said.

The couple died not far from their home in Yass. Picture: Live Traffic NSW

Assistant Commissioner Chapman said it had been a “horrific” start to the Easter holidays, with six deaths in total on NSW roads since Thursday morning.

“It’s really important at the end of the day every time someone gets behind the wheel of a vehicle or gets on a motorbike they accept responsibility and that responsibility is to do everything they can to keep themselves, their passengers and other road users safe,” Ms Chapman said.

“Police can only do so much.”

Friday’s grisly crash came after a 22-year old man died in Oakville in Sydney’s north after crashing into a wall at about 2.30pm on Thursday.

The sole driver of the Toyota hatchback died at the scene.

The crash is being investigated by police.

Six people have died on NSW roads since Thursday. Picture: OnScene ACT

Meanwhile, another person died in a single-vehicle car crash in regional Victoria a few hours before the fatal Barton Highway collision.

The car crashed into a tree and caught fire at about 3.15am near Bendigo.

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene, police said.

Detectives are yet to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the crash and will prepare a report for the Coroner.

Police have urged drivers to use caution during the particularly busy period.

Police are will issuing double demerit points for reckless behaviour such as excessive speeding and mobile phone use in a five-day operation which began on Thursday and will run until 11.59pm on Monday.

Police urged motorists to use caution. Picture: OnScene ACT

Ms Chapman said police would continue to be out in force to target bad driving behaviours.

“Ultimately we urge drivers to follow the rules,” she said.

“The message is pretty simple, drive to the speed limit and drive to the conditions.

“Don’t drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and certainly have a plan b if you’re planning to drink.

“And focus on the road and not on your phones.”

She said police had already caught 39 people who were driving over the prescribed limit of alcohol, 69 people who were tested positive to roadside drug testing and more than 1700 infringements issued.

“Over 600 of those were for speeding offences,” Ms Chapman said.

“The message is simple; drive to the speed limit, focus on the road – not your phone – and make sure you have a plan B if you are drinking.”

— with NCA NewsWire