National Easter road toll rises to 19 in horror weekend

Road fatalities have claimed the lives of at least 19 people across the country, with one group of road users over-represented in the Easter death toll.

It has been a horror Easter weekend on Australia’s roads, claiming the lives of at least 19 people and sparking urgent warnings from the nation’s police.

A motorcyclist crashed and died following a police pursuit in Sydney’s inner-west on Monday afternoon.

The male rider,who is believed to be 29, allegedly failed to stop for an officer from Traffic and Highway Patrol about 2.30pm on Arthur St in Strathfield.

Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said the rider was travelling west on the M4, and police initiated a pursuit when he turned left onto Arthur St after failing to stop.

Shortly after, the motorcycle hit a white Toyota Corolla while attempting to overtake the car.

The rider then lost control and hit a power pole.

Officers treated the male rider until paramedics arrived, however he died at the scene.

The man is believed to be of possible Indigenous descent, but police have not been able to formally identify him.

National Easter road toll rises to 18 in horror weekend. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to contact his next of kin so we are not able to confirm his identity at this point,” Assistant Commissioner Holland said.

“Police have been to numerous addresses to make inquiries with family and relatives but we are yet to establish his identity.”

Motorists have been advised to avoid Arthur St as it is closed between Henley St and Hornsey Rd, with a crime scene established.

An investigation into the incident has been launched by a Critical Incident Investigation Team from Bankstown Police Area Command which will be subject to an independent review.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

The fatality comes as a 25-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences, including dangerous driving causing death, when his allegedly stolen Ford Escape allegedly struck a Mitsubishi Mirage, killing a 39-year-old woman.

The woman has since been identified as a nurse, mother, and wife, while the male driver was “known well enough” to police.

Emergency services rushed to Booral Rd, Sunshine Acres on Queensland’s Fraser Coast at about 10.15pm on Sunday night, where they found the woman dead at the scene.

Police will allege the car had been stolen outside a charity organisation between March 28 and March 31, and have also alleged the man was driving while “adversely affected by an intoxicating substance while excessively speeding,” drove unlicensed, and was in possession of drugs at the time of the arrest.

The woman killed has been identified as a nurse and mother, as Detective Inspector Wade Lee addressed the media on Monday.

“The deceased in this instance was a nurse, a mother, and a wife, and the incident has devastated that family and the broader parts of the community,” he said.

The 25-year-old male driver was “known well enough” to police, and was not assisting police at this point.

He sustained minor injuries and is currently in hospital before he is set to appear at Harvey Bay Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Inspector Lee described the incident as “horrific”, with an examination revealing it appeared one car went onto the wrong side of the road into the path of the other car.

“It was a horrific scene. Both vehicles are totalled. Both vehicles have substantial damage on the drivers side of the vehicles,” Inspector Lee said.

“Up until this incident, Queensland was a fatality-free state on the roads this Easter period, so it really is a tragic set of circumstances.”

A 39-year-old mother and nurse was killed in a fatal road accident on Queensland’s Fraser Coast on Sunday night. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Brendan Beckett

Inspector Lee urged anyone with dashcam footage to come forward, and warned drivers to take caution on the roads as the school holidays began.

“Incidents like this can be stopped, it is preventable,” he said.

“If I could ask anyone travelling on our roads this Easter to be patient, there is a lot of traffic on the road, we have the balance of the school holidays to get through with that traffic being on the road.”

The warning comes as a 62-year-old man and a 54-year-old female, who police say were a couple, also tragically died in a three-car crash in Penola – a town about 388km southeast of Adelaide.

The crash between the Ford sedan, a Ford ute and a Tesla happened at about 5.15pm Sunday afternoon.

The sole driver of the Ford ute, a 51-year-old local man suffered minor injuries, while the 42-year-old female driver, and her 69-year-old female passenger – both interstate travellers from Victoria – were also taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

On Sunday afternoon, a 69-year-old driver died in a fatal collision at about 2.15pm, after the man’s car collided with a tree on Edwardstown Rd, South Gundagai in NSW’s Riverina region.

On Friday night, an 80-year-old man died in Campbelltown after being hit by a car about 11.15pm. The driver, a 26-year-old man, was not injured.

In a fatal ATV incident in the state’s southwest, a 54-year-old man died just after 8pm on Friday near Hay, after reportedly swerving his vehicle to avoid a collision with a kangaroo when he flipped.

Meanwhile, a 21-year-old motorcyclist died when he hit a power pole in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Thursday.

Then, in a separate motorbike incident, a rider died after a crash involving a B-double in the Snowy Mountains on Saturday morning.

Emergency services were called to the Snowy Mountains Highway near Kiandra, about 90km north of Cooma, about 11.15am and found the male rider had died at the scene.

The truck driver was taken for mandatory testing and investigations are continuing.

At least 18 people have died in road accidents this Easter weekend. Picture NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard.

The over-representation of fatalities involving motorcycle riders has prompted a warning from assistant commissioner Brett McFadden.

“Unlike other states, NSW is experiencing fantastic autumn weather and we know hundreds of riders will take advantage of the beautiful conditions and get out on the roads,” he said.

“I urge every rider to be prepared for all eventualities: wear the right protective gear – the wearing of a helmet is non-negotiable – ride to the conditions, don’t speed, and don’t take unnecessary risks.”

In another fatal motorcycle crash, a 59-year-old man died in Gordon, near Ballarat, on Good Friday.

Victorian police were called after reports the rider had lost control and was ejected on the Western Highway about 5.10pm.

Later that evening in Maryvale, Victorian Police responded after a 76-year-old man and his dog were struck by a car about 7.40pm.

The man died on his way to hospital and the dog died at the scene.

In Western Australia, another motorcyclist and a male driver were killed in the state’s southwest on Saturday.

Police said a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Holden Astra were both driving west on Vasse Hwy in Yoongarillup, near Busselton, when they crashed about 2pm.

Both the 19-year-old male motorcyclist and the 27-year-old driver sustained critical injuries and died at the scene.

It followed a fatal two-car collision in Lower-Chittering, northwest of Perth, on Thursday morning.

Police are still investigating after a Toyota Camry collided with a Jeep Cherokee, killing a 47-year-old woman and 54-year-old men.

Another fatality struck at 8.15pm on Sunday night at Lathlain.

An orange Honda motorcycle was travelling on Rutland Ave near Roberts Rd when it left the road and hit a wall, the police said.

The 30-year-old rider sustained catastrophic injuries and died at the scene.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy was hit by a car on Thursday afternoon in the state’s southwest and was flown to Perth Children’s Hospital in a critical condition.

In the Northern Territory, two men were killed and a third was injured in a collision on Thursday.

The three men were travelling on the Arnhem Hwy when the incident occurred around 2.45pm.

Early investigations suggest alcohol may be a factor in the crash, that caused the van to catch fire.

Meanwhile in SA, a 56-year-old man died after his Holden sedan struck a tree in Two Wells after 5pm on Friday.

Originally published as National Easter road toll rises to 19 in horror weekend