The faces of NT’s crash victims: An in-depth look at our sad epidemic

There have been 31 lives lost on Territory roads this year, that’s 21 more than the same time last year. These are the faces of that devastating road toll.

EACH life lost on Territory roads sends shockwaves of irreversible pain throughout the community.

The ripple effect of devastation these incidents carry creates lifelong trauma for everyone involved, from the first responders on the scene to friends and family.

The majority of the catastrophic crashes that have occurred in the NT have been deemed as “avoidable” by NT Police.

Later, in this in-depth look at this sad epidemic, we tell the stories of four crash victims who left friends and family behind in 2022.

Why are we losing so many precious lives on our roads?

As of July 18, 2022, 31 lives have been lost on Territory roads.

It is 31 too many.

The NT News sat down with Major Crash Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Corey Borton, asking why and how such tragic crashes kept occurring on NT roads and how they could be avoided.

NT Police member of 17 years, Major Crash Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Corey Borton has been investigating crashes on Territory roads for the past three years. Picture: Floss Adams.

Here’s what he had to say.

So what causes these tragic circumstances?

What do police investigate when assessing a fatal crash scene?

How to avoid committing a hit and run

The Territory has a notorious history for hit and runs.

What is a hit and run? It is when a driver of any kind of vehicle is involved in an accident whether it is fatal or minor, and does not stop and the scene to assist.

Since the start of the year, out of the 27 fatal road incidents, four of those crashes were alleged hit and runs.

In this video, Sen Sgt Borton explains what to do if you’re involved in a crash and to avoid committing a hit and run.

Sen Sgt Corey Borton said the vast majority of ‘hit and runs’ were “unavoidable”, meaning that the driver was helpless in the situation.

“What we often find is that after we conduct an investigation we may find that the collision itself, the actual crash, was unavoidable from the drivers perspective,” Sen Sgt Borton said.

“That there was nothing the driver could humanly do to avoid the crash, because by the time they perceive the object as a person … it’s too late for them to do anything.

“We find that a lot of that occurs, so it means that the driver themselves have committed no offences when they’ve collided with this pedestrian.”

Where the problem begins is when a driver does not stop.

“There has to be an actual physical danger to you to not stop,” he said.

Campaigning for road safety?

Sen Sgt Borton said there was always space for more campaigning for road safety awareness to be done.

“The frustration that I have is that we continually put a message out that just seems to fall upon deaf ears,” Sen Sgt Borton said.

“We have known for a long time that you don’t drink and drive, it’s been pumped into us from a very young age and the vast majority of 20 and 30-year-olds would never remember a time when there wasn’t an ad on TV about don’t drink drive.

“Here we are 30 years later, people are still drink driving.”

The crash wreckage nearby Manton Dam where a 15-year-old was ejected from a 4WD and died. Picture: Floss Adams.

He said Territory police have tried all kinds of scare tactics to send the message of road safety home.

“We’ve had grim reapers on TV, we’ve had tragic crash scenes on TV, we’ve had mangled bodies on TV. We’re starting to get to a point where we’re going into a circle now and we’re trying to rehash old strategies to try to get the message through,” Sen Sgt Borton said.

“If we get the message through to one person and we save one life then that’s great.”

He said “every single crash is avoidable”.

“We can’t predict these things. If we could predict fatal crashes we could prevent them but we just cannot. If only I could,” Sen Sgt Borton said.

VIDEO: A great example of road safety campaign content

VIDEO: An example of a different approach

Now, we take a look at four stories of crash victims who left friends and family behind this year.

Faces of Territory’s 2022 road crashes

Bees Creek – Jack Allan Taylor

Jack Allan Taylor was the victim of a tragic fatal single-car rollover on a rural road in Bees Creek.

Jack and two others, a 21-year-old woman and 25-year-old man, were travelling down Lowther Rd in a Toyota HiLux before it rolled over in the early hours of June 4, 2022.

St Johns NT operations manager Craig Garraway reported at the time that one of the occupants was trapped in the vehicle, another had been thrown from the vehicle and one had been impaled on a star picket.

24-year-old Jack Allan Taylor tragically passed away in a fatal car crash at Bees Creek

The three were transported to Royal Darwin Hospital where 24-year-old Jack Allan Taylor succumbed to his injuries.

The other two occupants survived.

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Later, in this piece, we take an in-depth look at the heavy, personal toll Jack’s tragic death has taken on the Taylor family members he left behind.

Noonamah – Peter Desalis

Peter Desalis, who was described as a “top bloke”, tragically died after a 4WD collided with him while he was riding his motorbike in Noonamah on the evening of June 21, 2022.

The 54-year-old was riding down the Stuart Hwy when a vehicle hit him while turning right.

Peter Desalis (second from the left and wearing high vis) hours before he tragically passed away in a crash at Noonamah. Photo: Supplied.

Emergency services were alerted to the scene about 7.45pm.

Peter sadly passed away at the scene.

Police arrested the 47-year-old driver of the car after he allegedly tested positive for cannabis.

The driver was taken to hospital for a subsequent blood sample.

Police investigations into the crash are currently ongoing.

Dundee Beach – Tony Hanson

Tony Hanson tragically passed away after being thrown from his ute on Australia Day.

The 40-year-old, described as a passionate family man, was driving his utility on Fog Bay Rd, Dundee Beach before it rolled at 4.30pm on January 26, 2022.

NT father Tony Hanson, 40, was thrown from his ute in a horrific fatal rollover at Dundee Beach on Wednesday, January 26. Picture: Supplied

Emergency services received reports of the man being thrown from his vehicle after a rollover.

NT Police, St John Ambulance and CareFlight responders found the man with significant injuries.

Despite their best efforts, Mr Hanson could not be saved.

Jingili – Jacob Brown

Jacob Brown was identified as a victim of a fatal crash in Jingili.

The 28-year-old was riding his motorcycle on McMillians Rd when it collided with the side of a turning vehicle on March 12, 2022.

Jacob Brown is remembered by his family as a fun kid and family man. Picture: Supplied

Police were alerted to a crash between a motorcyclist and vehicle about 9.20pm.

NT Police said at the time Jacob was riding a dirt bike that had no lights and wasn’t wearing a helmet.

He died at the scene of the collision.

Earlier that evening, police responded to a fatal incident that took the life of a 20-year-old man in a single vehicle rollover on Fog Bay Rd near Dundee.

NT Police Major Crash Investigation Unit determined the vehicle had left the road and lost control.

The 20-year-old driver died at the scene.

The tragic aftermath for those left behind

Elizabeth Taylor found out her son, Jack, was in hospital after she received a call from the Royal Darwin Hospital hours after his crash.

Mrs Taylor travelled an hour alone from the family’s rural property to the hospital before knowing she would be there for Jack’s final moments.

“As I walked into emergency, they all knew who I was, which I thought that’s not good,” she said.

“(I went) straight to the ICU, talked to two other surgeons who said that they already resuscitated Jack two or three times and that they wouldn’t be able to do it again.

“I knew that the blood pressure shouldn’t say that and that he shouldn’t be attached to this much stuff and he had about half an hour and then everything started beeping and we just had to turn it off.”

Jack Allan Taylor’s family Boondi, Ewin and Liz Taylor return to the memorial site six weeks later. Picture: Floss Adams.

Mrs Taylor was forced to share the heartbreaking news with her family.

“I had to ring my daughter who’s in Nhulunbuy and my son and ring my husband (who works FIFO) back and tell him what had happened,” she said.

“He drove 10 hours to get back here and he was an absolute wreck.

“Jack’s other brother works out on a tour boat in the middle of the ocean and we couldn’t get in contact with him for a couple of days.”

It’s been more than a month since Jack passed away.

Mrs Taylor said each day was as bad as the first for the family.

“We are all still so devastated,” she said.

“It’s had a major impact on everything that we do.

Jack Allan Taylor’s friends and family regularly add flowers and drinks to his memorial site. Picture: Floss Adams.

“Jack was the second oldest, so we’ve got two boys younger and a girl that’s older and it’s just a sick feeling anytime they leave and you’re constantly worried about them.

“(It’s the) way we treat the other kids as in (asking) where are you and are you going to be home and who’s driving?

“(We’re) making sure that they’re as safe as we can make them without overcrowding them.”

Mrs Taylor believes driver awareness will save lives on Territory roads.

“The change is that we’ve got to educate people not to drink drive, not to drive tired, that it only takes a split second even if you’re not drinking and you haven’t been doing drugs or anything else,” she said.

“If you’re doing a burnout it just takes a tire to pop and your whole world can change or it just takes a kangaroo to jump across the road.

“It’s not the roads, I think it’s the drivers.

“It can happen to your best mate, it can happen to your son and it can happen to your husband.”

Jack Allan Taylor’s family Boondi, Ewin and Liz Taylor return to the memorial site six weeks later. Picture: Floss Adams.

Mrs Taylor said drivers should get a “slap in the face” by the realities of choosing to get behind the wheel.

“I don’t know how much of a slap in the face they need but they need something,” she said.

“We were just saying the other day that we haven’t seen an RBT out here for years, and then there was one maybe two weeks ago.

“We all know that everyone out rural goes to the pub from five o’clock after they finish work.

“There’s no visual (reminders on rural roads).

“Police aren’t there saying we’re here, don’t drive, and people just get in the car.

“People have got to take responsibility for themselves as well.”

VIDEO: A great example of road safety campaign content

VIDEO: An example of a different approach

Originally published as The faces of NT’s crash victims: An in-depth look at our sad epidemic