Dad drives home tired message
When a Busselton doctor told Rochelle Togno's father Peter his daughter had died, he was numb.
"When they say that you feel numb, I just thought it was an expression," he said.
"When the shock hits you … you actually are numb. You can't feel your legs even through you're standing on them.
"Then it's just empty."
Rochelle, 21, was returning home from Perth in the early hours of October 24 with her partner Jeremy, 23, after they had spent the night in Perth attending a concert.
At about 1.30am, as the couple neared home on Jindong-Treeton Road, the car they were travelling in hit a tree.
The accident happened when fatigue kicked in and Jeremy, who was driving the car at the time, fell asleep behind the wheel.
Three out of five fatalities on Margaret River roads last year were because of fatigue, according to Margaret River's top cop Brett Cassidy.
Sergeant Cassidy told the _Times _ it was the one area officers, sadly, couldn't police.
"Speed, alcohol and fatigue are the three major causes of fatalities," he said.
"We police speed. We police alcohol. But fatigue is one we can't."
Mr Togno said while it was difficult speaking about his daughter's death, he hoped doing so would stop someone else going through the same thing.
He said people often thought they were invincible but he urged people to pull over and rest if they were feeling tired.
"You're not okay. Just pull over. Have a breather. Have a break. Just don't even go home," he said.
"It's so easy to be smart afterwards.
"But afterwards it's too late … it's just too late."
It's a disappointing truth that people often have accidents close to home, Sgt Cassidy said, adding it was often in the last "few kilo-metres" that people came to grief.
"It really is important for people to be mindful of fatigue," he said.
"Don't drive while tired.
"That's the biggest message."
Mr Togno said he was lucky enough to spend some great time with Rochelle, who he said was a "strong little girl".
"It was black and white," he said.
"You knew exactly where you stood with her.
"There was nearly 500 people at the funeral.
"The chapel was overflowing."
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