Two dead after two-vehicle crash in Corowa in southern New South Wales
Two people have died after a crash in Corowa on Tuesday night.
Key points:
- Police say a Ford Falcon ute and Holden Commodore collided on Redlands Road, then the Ford hit a tree
- A young man and woman in the Ford died as a result, but the 18-year-old driver of the Holden was uninjured
- Police say early inquiries suggest the Ford may have tried to overtake the Commodore
New South Wales Police said emergency services were called to Redlands Road at about 7:40pm, where a Ford Falcon ute and Holden Commodore had reportedly collided, before the Ford crashed into a tree.
Murray River Traffic and Highway Patrol Inspector Scott Trewhella said initial inquiries supported “the possibility that the Ford Falcon utility may have attempted to overtake a Holden Commodore sedan”.
“There’s then been an impact between the two vehicles prior to the [ute’s] impact with the tree,” he said.
A 19-year-old woman travelling in the Ford was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
The ute’s driver — an 18-year-old man — was freed from the vehicle, but died.
The 18-year-old driver of the Holden was uninjured, Inspector Trewhella said.
He was taken to Corowa Hospital for mandatory testing and is assisting police with their inquiries.
Police are appealing for witnesses after two people died in a crash in Corowa on Tuesday evening.(ABC News)
Inspector Trewhella said it was “way too early to say” whether charges would be laid, but all factors, including whether speed, dangerous driving, distraction, drugs or alcohol were involved, would be considered.
According to Transport New South Wales data, this means 255 people have died on the state’s roads this year so far, up from 193 in 2022.
The site of the crash is about 32 kilometres from the Hume Highway Intersection near Chiltern in Victoria, where two couples in their 70s died on Thursday August 31, when the car they were travelling in collided with a B-double truck.
Victorian Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing Glenn Weir said it appeared their car had failed to give way.
‘No one should be losing their life’
Inspector Trewhella said the scene at Corowa was upsetting for first responders.
“When you’ve got persons who have unfortunately lost their life in that collision, and then people who are still trapped and requiring assistance, it’s absolutely distressing,” he said.
Inspector Trewhella said the impact the crash would be felt by bystanders and the whole community, as well as by emergency services staff who were at the scene.
He urged people to take care and said that “no one should be losing their life on the road”.
He appealed for anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers or their local police station.