"History will be kind to us, because we will write it"
A woman has died and another injured after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the road outside The Canberra Hospital this afternoon (Thursday, May 3).
The vehicle, a red Toyota Camry station wagon, had been called in to ACT Policing Operations earlier by an off duty AFP member after the vehicle was seen driving erratically and collided with another vehicle in Hughes.
The vehicle fled the scene and was spotted by a Woden patrol crew on Yamba Drive, running a red light and hitting pedestrians who were crossing the intersection at Bateson Road at around 4.45pm.
One woman has died at the scene. The other woman sustained injuries and is in a stable condition at The Canberra Hospital.
The 24-year-old driver was apprehended by police and taken to The Canberra Hospital where he is assisting police with enquiries.
Yamba Drive is blocked between Kitchener Street and Hindmarsh Drive in Woden, and is expected to be closed for some time. ACT Policing’s Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Team are on scene.
This is the second person to die on ACT roads this year and the second in a week.
Anyone who witnessed the collision and is yet to speak to police is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via www.act.crimestoppers.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.
UPDATE 04/05/12 10:54: Regarding the second crash this morning we have this from police media:
ACT Policing attended a minor collision between a motorcycle and car at the intersection of Yamba Drive and Bateson Road around 9am this morning. The road was closed for approximately 15 minutes.
UPDATE 04/05/12 13:01: The following has been circulated in the ACT public service:
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Cummerbund said :
Uh, no it wasn’t. You were bleating about Police procedures you don’t understand and attempting to ridicule the time it takes to investigate a death on the road. Also, ambulances, like all emergency vehicles, have lights and sirens that they can use in the unlikely event that they actually have a critically sick person in the back who needs immediate care.
I have often thought that that is a very, very busy road at peak hour and that employees leaving the hospital to return to their cars should have better access to the carpark than having to cross that road.
It’s high time they redesigned traffic arrangements around Woden to create a one-way ring-road system to enable more traffic to traverse the area more quickly and efficiently. They need to get rid of Southbound traffic from Melrose and Northbound traffic from Yamba. They would need to join Yamba to Hindmarsh several hundred metres further West than the current major intersection using part of Edison Park and the CIT. Then they need to provide pedestrian access across the entire area, including the park, hospital, college, CIT, pool, and shopping centre segregated from the traffic.
Perhaps try less spending on worthless “Human Rights Commissioners” and the country’s most pampered and least safe prison and spend the money on something to benefit the community instead.
This is being discussed on the radio right now – talking about how it’s possibly too busy a road for so many people to be crossing. Not sure about that – there are many more busier roads with pedestrian crossings and to be honest, I don’t see it being abused – as in people jaywalking – and I drive up there a lot.
It’s tragic that this has happened. I’m betting that this “24 year old” will be regretting his actions for the rest of his life…if only he stopped at the original accident he was involved in someone would still be alive and he would be facing lesser charges – not manslaughter charges. One can only hope that his sentence reflects the crime – unlikely in the ACT. One act of stupidity has effected so many lives in a split second.
Death smash?? A completely innocent person local person is dead and you want to report it as a death smash?
HenryBG said :
Err, have you read the story? Someone fleeing police ran a red light and hit pedestrians – and you want to talk traffic arrangements??
Rollersk8r said :
+1. What the hell?
“Death smash” are you autistic? show some respect.
Rollersk8r said :
I also heard it reported as a police chase, yet the release from the police above indicates that it wasn’t. Perhaps they just wanted to avoid mentioning that part of it.
“and was spotted by a Woden patrol crew on Yamba Drive, running a red light and hitting pedestrians who were crossing the intersection at Bateson Road at around 4.45pm.
“
Spotted doesn’t indicate being chased. It makes it sound like they just noticed him there just as they were driving by and saw him crash into people.
I wonder which is true.
For those wondering the headline is intended to highlight the gravity of the accident and not as disrespect to the fallen and the injured.
Our condolences to the family.
Condolences to the families of those involved
Should be noted that a motorcycle was taken out on that very same intersection just this morning. *sigh*
I remember commenting to the wife years ago that i wished they had put in a pedestrian overpass when they built that staff car park across yamba drive. I hope something like this is considered now.
The family of the victims are in my thoughts and I hope the scumbag driver rots
This scumbag is on a par with Mully Williams.
Takes off from the police at high speed, ploughs into pedestrians, keeps going, hits another car 100 meters up the road injuring the occupants of that car and then tries to flee the scene on foot.
I hope a bit more happens to him than just regretting his actions.
Someone’s family is having a crap time of it now. Thoughts are with you.
rhino said :
Canberra Times article stated “ACT Policing was unable to confirm last night whether the officers in the Woden paddy wagon had activated their vehicle’s lights or siren before the Camry slammed into the pedestrians. But a spokeswoman said that a formal pursuit had not been initiated.”
The driver was not running from the police as much as running from the accident that occured in Hughes. This would indicate to me that the accident was more than likely going to occur, regardless of the police presence.
The way this is being presented is another instance of the police being damned for doing nothing more that the job that we expect them to do, uphold the law.
rhino said :
24 year old male in a stolen car that ran red lights, hit another vehicle and did a runner was witnessed by an off duty cop, who called it in. A cop car sees the vehicle and does a u-turn to check it out, but doesn’t get involved in a pursuit because of heavy traffic (Yamba drive, I think).
Then the tragedy occurred. No police pursuit at the time.
Madam Cholet said :
I hope he regrets it for a very short time in that case.
Madam Cholet said :
I’m running a book; anyone want odds on 200 hrs community service and a 6 month license suspension?
Madam Cholet said :
“Affected”.
knuckles said :
We do not have a sentence of sufficient gravity available for this sort of offence, and even if there was, it would not be given, ever.
So horrible, two sad road deaths in a week.
johnboy said :
I did wonder about the usage of that word in the title. Maybe the word “Fatal” would have been better.
I’ve heard that the deceased was a Nurse- not confirmed yet, although I wonder how many ulcers the staff will develop being forced to treat this guy.
I also wonder how he feels, being stuck and defenseless in the very hospital this poor Lady worked in.
This is really crap.
Thoughts and best wishes to the families of the victims.
Girt_Hindrance said :
She was a tech. Worked in the cathlab.
The driver didn’t even brake.
“She was a tech. Worked in the cathlab.
The driver didn’t even brake.”
Absolutely horrific stuff, my thoughts with the family, friends and colleagues.
Let me guess, he’s probably known to Police and has been in and out of detention including the juvenile system since he was a little tacker. I’m sure he’ll get some sympathetic judge, who’ll feel sorry for him that his father wasn’t around and he had a family of half siblings each from a different father on the street they lived on.
I suggest we draw and quarter him, as an example to any other Mully aspirants out there.
It sounds to me like this guy must have been on some serious hallucinogenic drugs or else been completely insane having a psychotic episode or something. He crashes into people driving erratically and then ends up in woden ploughing through a large group of people crossing at a red light which u can see from 100m away easily…without even braking. He may have even swerved towards them. None of it sounds like an accidental thing that can happen due to driver error even if you were flooring it. This guy just sounds completely mental.
I hope that background information on the driver can be given to the public after his trial in order for people (particularly young people) who take amphetamines, ice, ecstacy, cocaine and other drugs as party or entertainment aides and/or regularly.
On many occasions I never seem to read or hear about the driver of these hit and runs as to whether or not drug (taking) was involved. Alcohol yes, drugs not as much.
Being fully aware of consequences and having a conscience in relation to the law and the possibility of killing other people on the roads during police pursuits is processed positively in most young peoples minds.
However, as most of us would know, alcohol, drugs or the involvement in drugs or previous crime, causes many of these types of hit and runs.
If a person is speeding or has committed a minor offence and has nothing major to fear (from police) ie drug or crime involvement, why run from them?
I am against pills and drug useage, however, it is my view, that with the new drug testing introduced, the public are going to see more and more of these hit and run major incidents, particularly in young people who take drugs socially. They affect kids differently and many have lost their consciences temporarily until the effects wear off.
Most would not want their families knowing they take drugs after being caught by the police or having family know of any involvement in drug using or supplying.
If it is a career crim (ala Mully, Massey etc), I hope he goes away for a V E R Y long time. And I feel VERY sorry for the woman’s families who will be sitting in court looking at this creep.
Uni Students: it would be great if a study could be conducted on a person taking ecstacy/ice/cocaine and other drug substances to compare their ‘conscience and or the processing of consequences in relation to the law and abiding the law’ during the first few hours of drugs going through the system; particularly young people with and without alcohol used.
scorpio63 said :
I’m going to suggest than in the absence of any hard data as to what was at cause here you desist trying to grind your own personal axe on this thread.
rhino said :
Why is it so hard for people to comprehend that some of the miscreants in society are not ‘mental’ or ‘drug affected’ they are just bad people who don’t give a flying **** about the rest of us. Their actions will always be the same – take anything, run from authority and smash anything in the way.
rhino said :
or he may just be a complete c**t.