Prominent Greek farming family loses matriarch Rita Skliros, 75, in tragic rural area crash
A PROMINENT Darwin Greek family has lost its matriarch in a tragic crash in the rural area on Saturday night.
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A PROMINENT Darwin Greek family has lost its matriarch in a tragic crash on Saturday night.
Eleftheria “Rita” Skliros, 75, died in a three-car crash on the Stuart Highway in Livingstone at 8.45pm while driving her Toyota Kluger.
In a sad twist, Ms Skliros had left home earlier that day to visit her husband Nicholas’ grave at Thorak Cemetry.
Mr Skliros passed away on January 28.
The Skliros family is well-known in the Darwin region, running a large mango farm.
Ms Skliros’ son Leo briefly spoke with the NT News yesterday.
He said the family hadn’t slept as a result of the devastating news.
He said the deaths of his parents had made 2020 a tough year for his family.
His mother and father had lived in Darwin since they were young, raising him and his siblings in their home town.
Leo visited the crash site yesterday afternoon, and said it was troubling to see two crosses just 30m from the crash site where his mother died.
“It seems to be an issue area. There’s already two crosses only 30m from the crash site,” he said.
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The crash happened on a stretch of road that merges from four lanes to two.
Detectives from the Major Crash Investigation Unit were called to the scene of the crash on the Stuart Highway in Livingstone.
Two other people were taken to Royal Darwin Hospital with serious injuries.
Police are seeking assistance from anyone who may have seen the Kluger being driven in an erratic manner prior to the crash.
Both lanes of the Stuart Highway were closed between Cox Peninsula and Townend roads, with traffic diversions in place after the crash.
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The incident happened only metres away from the roadside crosses that mark the site of another tragic crash that claimed the lives of 19-year-old Sharnay Hassell and 25-year-old Terry Luxford in 2015.
There have been several fatal crashes along that part of the Stuart Highway in recent years, including a two-car collision in April which killed Rosanna Neff, 33, and a rollover that killed another woman last January.
Anyone who was in the area at the time is urged to contact NT Police on 131 444.
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