'Beautiful couple' killed in highway crash as baby survives identified
The two people killed in a head-on crash in North Queensland, leaving their baby boy as the only survivor in the vehicle, have been identified as a “beautiful”couple, who had close ties to their local community.
Gemma Cosgrave, 37, and her partner Steve Arthur, 34, were killed after the collision with a truck on the Bruce Highway at Conn Creek, north of Townsville, on Tuesday afternoon.
The 18-month-old, who was strapped into a child safety seat, was pulled from the burning Subaru wreck, which burst into flames on impact.
Ms Cosgrave, who worked for several years as the events and food and beverage manager at Castaways Resort in Mission Beach, has been remembered as a hard worker and dedicated mother of two.
As well as the toddler who survived the crash, the couple had an older boy.
“I had the pleasure of knowing Gemma and her family as a friend and colleague,” Castaways general manager Jasmine Porteous told Yahoo News Australia.
“She was a hard-working, quiet achiever with a passion for life and absolute dedication to her beautiful family.
“Her partner Steve and young boys meant the world to her. Gemma had an easy, genuine smile and personality and their loss has left a big hole in our small, tight-knit community.”
Ms Porteous described Mr Arthur as a “wonderful father and loving partner”.
Baby ‘lucky to be alive’
Bystanders who were first on the scene showed absolute bravery and courage when they rescued the baby before the car burst into flames, Senior Constable Russ Parker said.
"Without their actions that child would have certainly been a third fatality," he said.
Senior Constable Parker said rescuers had shown "absolute bravery and courage ... to overcome (the) flames" to save the child.
"It's a fantastic effort."
He said the boy was lucky to be alive.
"To survive a head-on collision at those sort of speeds, given the vehicles involved, that's amazing," he told reporters on Wednesday.
The boy was flown to Townsville Hospital with broken legs, where he remains in a stable condition.
Senior Constable Parker said initial investigations suggest the car may have moved into the path of the truck.
Off-duty paramedic Megan Brown came across the crash and went to the aid of those involved.
Ms Brown said she was the fifth person to arrive at the scene, and immediately helped the injured truck driver and baby.
She said it was one of the most confronting scenes she had come across.
Ms Cosgrave and Mr Arthur are among 92 Queenslanders killed on the state's roads in 2019 and follow a horror last 10 days when 19 people died.
The male truck driver and sole occupant received minor injuries.
Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage of the silver Subaru Forrester involved in the crash.
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