Driver arrested over deadly road crash
A man has been arrested and charged with dangerous driving causing death after a mother and her daughter died in a horrific car crash at a rural intersection in remote South Australia.
The 28-year-old man’s van and a Honda collided at the intersection of Templeton Rd and Blyth Rd near Everard Central in the state’s Mid-North just after 5pm on Tuesday.
The 54-year old driver of the Honda and her 86-year-old mother died at the scene.
Another family member, an 84-year-old man, was in the back seat and suffered critical injuries.
Paramedics flew him to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where he is fighting for his life.
The 28-year-old man and his 26-year-old passenger were also injured.
Both were flown to Royal Adelaide and it is understood the young woman is in a critical condition.
The police have charged the man with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He has been bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on January 17, 2024.
The police closed Templeton Rd for several hours before reopening it overnight.
The mother and 84-year-old man are from Clare and the daughter is from Jamestown.
South Australia Police Traffic Services Branch Superintendent Darren Fielke said the deaths would rock the respective communities.
“Fatalities that happen in regional communities have a really long-lasting impact because of the way (those communities) are structured,” he said on Wednesday afternoon.
“Losing two members of a family is unfathomable. It’s going to rock some people.”
Superintendent Fielke said police were “hoping” no more fatalities would be added to the horror toll.
“We now have two people fighting for life,” he said.
“We’re hoping that we don’t have to add to the number of two from this particular collision.”
Photos from the scene show a van on its side and a massive emergency response, including multiple ambulance units and a rescue helicopter.
Tuesday’s deaths are the 95th and the 96th lives lost on the state’s roads compared with 59 from the same period last year.
Speaking in August, Superintendent Fielke said the dramatic figures should serve as a “serious reality check” for the community.
“The ripple effect of road trauma, whether it be life lost or a serious injury, should not be lost on anyone,” he said.
