11 August 2008

15y/o Girl dies in a Conder car crash

| Hammo
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[First filed: August 10, 2008 @ 07:03]

My sincerest condolences to the family of a 15-year-old female, whom was the victim of a horror car crash early yesterday morning (09/08/08).

[As reported by the ABC]

May she rest in peace. To the other two people involved in the crash, I extend my best wishes to you and hope for a quick recovery.

UPDATED: The Community Alliance Party’s candidate in Brindabella, James Sizer, is blaming the Stanhope Government:

    “Tragically, this young girl might still be alive if the Government had kept to its 2004 election promise to duplicate the section of Tharwa Drive on which the head-on accident occurred,” Mr Sizer said. “Labor’s broken promises have cost communities their schools, facilities, health and community services, but this one has cost a family far too much.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Marlin74 is closely involved in the tragedy and had this to say in the comments:

    It was my Brother & Sister in-law together with my two baby nephews 2.5 years and 13 months old returning home from my place from a family birthday party. My sister in-law is still in hospital after having surgery on Saturday.

    I need to be careful of how much I say as I believe there is still a police investigation going on. What I do know is that allegedly the poor girl who passed away was in the backseat and not wearing a seatbelt and the driver of that car seemed to loose control and drifted into oncoming traffic.

    My sister in law has a broken femur and the youngest has a broken collarbone, concussion for the eldest and my brother in law is banged up and bruised.

    My sincere condolences to the family of the 15 year old girl. I hope the police reveal the cause of the accident soon so everyone knows what happened.

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x-taylorr said :

i thought you might like to know this. i have talked to taylor’s friends and the only thing taylor did was be there while the other people did it. she took pictures with it but not at any time did she spray paint. she was there though. she did have the photos on her bebo but she has deleted them out of respect for people who were offended. this is what i have been told.

id also like to clear up some stuff from before. what i know is what i got told from a girl who was in the car. saying that im going to be involved in the police investigation or whatever is pointless because all the information she gave to them is what i know and they would just get the same story. im sorry if i have hurt anyones feelings from i said i honestly am.

i didnt mean to offend anyone at all and i know i did and im sorry for that.

take care. x

Thanks for clearing that up x-taylorr,

I just hope that you understand that as well intentioned as you may have been in preserving your friends’ actions and memory that this is a serious matter in which the police are not finished with their investigations.

Regardless of whether you heard it from someone in the car or not, there are details that are not intended to be released to the public yet untill the police have investigated their actions.

I hope that you also appreciate that there is more to this crash than just what your friends have mentioned, and that hearing one side of the events does not equal “100% of the facts”.

I’m not having a go at you. I understand that you lost a friend in all of this. I nearly lost a sister, brother in law and two beautiful little nephews, so I have been extremely emotional over all of this too. But there is a reason that the police haven’t released any information, and it isn’t your or my place to undermine that investigation by spreading more hearsay.

In the mean time, go be with friends and family, and take their help with getting through this.

Take care

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot12:49 am 14 Aug 08

monkey1 said :

Yes Madman I have screen dumped and sent to the relevant authorities. I was horrified when my child showed me the pages. How does one justify vandalising public property??

The youth of today has a lot to answer for!

I guess those darn kids were looking at improving the look of our public buildings?

God knows Canberra architecture is lacking in personality.

If I had my way I’d level every structure (both private and public) south of Wanniassa and use the land to create giant arenas where I’d gamble everything I have on goofed up pre-teens fighting it out to the death!

Kids these days need something to keep out of trouble.

Until then I guess we’ll just have to keep gossiping about car accidents.

Ever heard about the guy who lost his head going to work?

I thought you weren’t a fan of hearsay?

no arse-covering…just what i got told

Timberwolf6510:05 pm 13 Aug 08

x-taylorr said :

because its still a police investigation im not saying whether or not she was under the influcence, a fact which i know.. but even if she was when you are under the influence you dont know what you are doing.. clearly if she was she didnt know .. her friend died while she was driving.

Exactly the reason why she should not of been behind the wheel of a car.
I hope that this has been a lesson to all young people, It’s a harsh lesson to have to deal with death at such a young age, a girl died and the driver will have to live with that for the rest of her life, actions have consequences.

I hope to christ my kids are never in this situation.

x-taylorr said :

i thought you might like to know this. i have talked to taylor’s friends and the only thing taylor did was be there while the other people did it. she took pictures with it but not at any time did she spray paint. she was there though. she did have the photos on her bebo but she has deleted them out of respect for people who were offended. this is what i have been told.

Do I detect arse-covering?

i thought you might like to know this. i have talked to taylor’s friends and the only thing taylor did was be there while the other people did it. she took pictures with it but not at any time did she spray paint. she was there though. she did have the photos on her bebo but she has deleted them out of respect for people who were offended. this is what i have been told.

id also like to clear up some stuff from before. what i know is what i got told from a girl who was in the car. saying that im going to be involved in the police investigation or whatever is pointless because all the information she gave to them is what i know and they would just get the same story. im sorry if i have hurt anyones feelings from i said i honestly am.

i didnt mean to offend anyone at all and i know i did and im sorry for that.

take care. x

Taylor,
You are 16 and trying to handle something that many adults struggle to cope with. Don’t be too hard on yourself at this difficult time.

Yes Madman I have screen dumped and sent to the relevant authorities. I was horrified when my child showed me the pages. How does one justify vandalising public property?? I’m sorry for the loss, I know the whole school is feeling the loss, whether they were close to the deceased or not, but this is no way to deal with the grief. There are groups dedicated to her set up on bebo for the kids to say their goodbyes, not all over public property!

The youth of today has a lot to answer for!

Umm no actually this is a different taylor. i know that taylor though. and i dont agree with what her and her friends did but knowing her friends quite closely they are greiving hard and have all changed so much they are just doing more and more bad things they dont care anymore. which is wrong.

but what i meant from all this was why are we all sitting here saying the driver should rot in prison and things like that…its not right i was really angry when i read all that and that comment i left before was all out of different emotions such as anger sadness and been heartbroken.

im sorry if i have offended anyone by what i wrote or if i have upset anyone. And when i said i know what happened, i am talking about i know what happened before they went driving and i know as far as what happened in that car i didnt word what i meant right .

once again im sorry if anything i said has come across the wrong way…just been so young and losing someone so significant in your life does make you do stupid things…and for the privacy things im sorry i wrote her name. i didnt think that writing her name was wrong because its all over so many other websites i didnt think it was wrong to say her name and im sorry.

basically im sorry for that whole comment. and what i want you to understand is im a 16 year old girl and i probably posted to much older people you all have a whole different understanding of all this but i dont i just understand everything that you would at my age…

monkey1 said :

So, to x-taylorr

Would you be the same taylor you posted so proudly on your deceased friend’s bebo that you and your friends spray painted “RIP AMY” all over Lanyon and then so proudly posted photo’s of your vandalism on your own bebo site???

I’m sure your friend would be so proud of your law breaking….NOT. Not the biggest show of respect for her I would say. What gives you the right to now break the law?? I understand you are grieving and for that I am sorry. My child goes to the same school and knew this girl (not well I might add), but I don’t think breaking the law is the way to deal with your grief.

OMG – Just ruin my suburb a bit more. Thanks for decreasing the value of my house in time when i’m selling. The damn vandalisms at the shops and bus stops are already a bad factor. Monkey1, I hope you pdf’d the bebo page and reported the vandalism to http://www.act.crimestoppers.com.au defacing public property is so low… :-@

astrosapien said :

I have shown restraint in mentioning details that I have heard from my family, the least you can do is show similar restraint when talking about information that you have heard from your friends.

Amen!

So, to x-taylorr

Would you be the same taylor you posted so proudly on your deceased friend’s bebo that you and your friends spray painted “RIP AMY” all over Lanyon and then so proudly posted photo’s of your vandalism on your own bebo site???

I’m sure your friend would be so proud of your law breaking….NOT. Not the biggest show of respect for her I would say. What gives you the right to now break the law?? I understand you are grieving and for that I am sorry. My child goes to the same school and knew this girl (not well I might add), but I don’t think breaking the law is the way to deal with your grief.

Tharwa Drive at Calwell is expected to be closed in both directions for several hours after a fatal accident this afternoon.

Police say a 90-year-old woman was killed when the car in which she was a passenger was struck by another car on the corner of Doogan Street and Tharwa Drive.

And yeah, I know the font’s different.

Full story from the ABC news site here.

I see there was another fatal crash on Tharwa Dr this afternoon. A bit further North this time I think.

Thanks Skidbladnir,

What you mentioned above is spot on. I have already spoken to my brother-in-law about the details that people are alleging they know and he will be advising his police contact tomorrow. It’s standard practice for the police to have to investigate even some of the most innocent of rumors.

This is an extremely serious situation which has already had severe consequences for people in both vehicles. It’s interesting that people can ask people to cease discussing the matter out of respect and sensitivity for the 18 yr old driver who is still recovering; and yet at the same time completely disregard how saying that they “know 100% what happened” is having an emotional impact on my sister and her family.

So please, if you have nothing constructive to say, don’t post comments saying that you “know” anything. All you are doing is involving yourself in an investigation that still has a pending result and potentially compromising the efforts of the many people who are investigating this incident around the clock.

I have shown restraint in mentioning details that I have heard from my family, the least you can do is show similar restraint when talking about information that you have heard from your friends.

Thanks.

Very likely Cam…

Plus what’s the deal with the other thread – you got our attention not to post or comment anything about it but you name the topic a “Debate”….

And Skid, you’re a smart man! Also the comments about “knowing”… you may think you know, but you only know one side of the story. Otherwise the police investigation would be over, theyd ask you what happened and gp “oh.. so thats what happend, that must be correct, solved”… There’s always two sides to a story plus the findings which equals the circumstances; all of which needs an investigation and not a one side account.

We should consider the fact that these requests to simply not discuss the issue are very likely coming from children.

Note to the above poster and other school friends, should they choose to invade, and using the above as an example:
…because its still a police investigation im not saying whether or not she was under the influcence, a fact which i know…

Comments like this will make you a target for police inquiries if they need information or statements from you, and you’re responsible for anything you post.

Don’t whiteknight in on RiotACT to save whatever you see as your friend’s reputation, especially if you’re feeling a bit emotional.
We can be more than a bit red in tooth and claw at times, and know when an argument is weakly phrase or weak in general.

You’re 1) very unlikely to help, 2) quite possibly damage any defence proceedings if needed, or at the very least the public perception of the people involved and 3) naming the victim\s in a public thread when everybody else had danced around (it to their credit) is just uncool.

The driver of a vehicle with under 16 passengers shoulders responsibility for seatbelts, under ACT Llw. Speed, fatigue, distraction, and inexperience or drugs may also be factors.
However, these things will all be subject to a coronial finding.

So just belt up and be quiet.

I think we should restrict this to one thread as well.

I hope all of those who are close to this incident that have taken the time to post here will understand one day why we feel as involved in this issue (though for clearly very, very different reasons) as you do.

We’ve respected the privacy of the families involved. The only people posting names are those that are asking us to stop discussing it.

Most of the anger was directed at a politician for trying to score political points out of the incident. The only anger directed at the driver was along the lines of “if that’s true, then…” as opposed to resounding calls for her head.

Saying something like “it shouldn’t be discussed” is nothing short of utterly ridiculous. How do you suggest it be handled? We pretend it didn’t happen? I’m all for reducing the speculating, but preventing any and all discussion is a completely unrealistic expectation.

I mean, can you close this one?

JB, isn’t that enough for this thread? perhaps the other one would be best for commenting against?

I just wish she’d worn her seat belt so she could be here to see it.

A.W would be proud of her friends standing up for her.

Amy was my best friend. She died in this car crash and my very close friend was with her in the accident. She has told me everything that happened that night and trust me EVERYTHING YOU PEOPLE ARE SAYING IS JUST RUMOURS AND COMPLETE RUBBISH. How can you all have an arguement over one of the most down to earth, most beautiful girls in the world. I cant get her back now but reading this just made me so angry, the driver is in intensive care does no one have any respect for her situation? everyone is going on about “oh she was under the influence thats just idiocy”.. because its still a police investigation im not saying whether or not she was under the influcence, a fact which i know.. but even if she was when you are under the influence you dont know what you are doing.. clearly if she was she didnt know .. her friend died while she was driving. she is going to have the police to deal with once she is better I think the best you can all do out of respect is to just leave your opinions to yourselves or your friends not on the internet. Because you dont know who is reading, could be someone like me who was very closely connected to the accident.. someone who has lost there bestfriend, the one person who would put a smile on their face no matter what the problem. I love amy. i know she would’nt want people to analyse the situation. Please just stop this. If you post on this just dont argue it doesnt get you anywhere.. I agree everyone has their opinions but some opinions can really hurt other people who know the real and true story.Im never getting my baby girl back. Life is short .. dont waste your time getting fired up .. use your time with your family and friends.. and please let them know how much they mean to you.. because alot of the time you never get that chance.

Rest In Peace Amy . I love you. Never Forgotten. Each day is just a day closer to when I get too see you again. You were a princess while you were here and now your Gods angel. Look down on us beautiful. Im so sorry..

dragonflygal said :

Madman said :

Bumble01 said :

ok i understand. trying to find a resolution to stop it happening again is great thing. no family should ever go through this. 15 is FAR too young to die. but saying that the driver should rot in prison, i believe is horribly wrong. most do not know the circumstances of the accident, and may have a different veiw if they did.

You’ve fallen in to the midst of open forums discussion I see. Welcome to the pack.
First you go saying about not making speculation and then saying the driver should rot in prison. My word of the day is definatly Hooley Dooley

Madman, I think you read that comment the way I did at first, but if you go back and read it again you’ll see that Bumble01 is actually saying that they believe that it is horribly wrong to say the driver should rot in prison.

I think we’re both getting old! Sorry Bumble and thanks Dragon. =-)

Bumble01 said :

if the family wants it to be released, then they will do that, but for now, i will respect their wishes and privacy.

Doesn’t it get released anyway? I’m not sure…

But why shouldn’t it be spoken about (perhaps without any derogatory comments eg rotting in hell or laying blame).

Talking about such incidents (whether rumours or otherwise) helps others, involved or indirectly involved, understand and deal with such an awful tragedy.
It’s one of the best counselling sessions a person could have.

I understand that the feelings you have right now are raw, and friends and family on both sides of this horrible accident will do whatever they can to protect their own, whatever the cause, and this will also be the case when the police report comes to public eyes. The apportion of blame (whether it be person or road conditions etc) if, and I did say “if” that blame lies on your side of the fence, you will not want to believe it then either.

Read much of this thread, most privacy has been respected. People in general feel for all involved, but have a burning need to understand how this happened.
The police will do their thing, but that will take time, and we have information that the human mind wants to off load NOW. Albeit, maybe not so accurate.

I lost two friends in car accidents in my high school years, and understand how devastating this can be. It is better to talk about it with others who also feel the way you do, if you choose not to that is your choice.
But at the same time, you can not criticise others (especially those on the other side) for wanting to talk about it and wanting to know.
Rumours and snippets of info are all we have right now, but people still need to talk about it, use it or disregard it as they see fit.
It is not for you to say “STOP”.

You may not see it as fair, but others do, and that’s the world we live in.

Bumble01 said :

i did not say that the driver should rot in prison. someone else said that and i said that is wrong and shouldnt be said.

Did you perhaps mean that you dislike it being said?

(BTW I’d like to thank everyone to date for keeping this discussion moderately civil despite the strong feeling on all sides)

In a way I agree with Bumble01 and Affected.

It isn’t ANYBODY’s place to state that they know what happened that night. The police are investigating this matter from both sides and are the only people in this situation that will be able present the details of that night in an objective and unbiased manner.

That is why, despite it being my family involved in the crash I haven’t divulged any of the information that I have been privy to. The police will make their statement known in due course and then the discussion will be able to move forward from there.

dragonflygal3:22 pm 13 Aug 08

Madman said :

Bumble01 said :

ok i understand. trying to find a resolution to stop it happening again is great thing. no family should ever go through this. 15 is FAR too young to die. but saying that the driver should rot in prison, i believe is horribly wrong. most do not know the circumstances of the accident, and may have a different veiw if they did.

You’ve fallen in to the midst of open forums discussion I see. Welcome to the pack.
First you go saying about not making speculation and then saying the driver should rot in prison. My word of the day is definatly Hooley Dooley

Madman, I think you read that comment the way I did at first, but if you go back and read it again you’ll see that Bumble01 is actually saying that they believe that it is horribly wrong to say the driver should rot in prison.

i agree with what AFFECTED has written. it shouldnt be spoken about. i am not going to be the one who tells Australia what happened that night. if the family wants it to be released, then they will do that, but for now, i will respect their wishes and privacy.
And MADMAN, i did not say that the driver should rot in prison. someone else said that and i said that is wrong and shouldnt be said.

Because it shouldn’t be spoken about… Have some respect!

It is what represents the best and the worst of a democracy

Bumble,
Many people family and friends of the young family have posted some details on here.
Since your so concerned about the one side heaviness of this forum, why don’t you tell us what YOU know of the circumstances…
Rather than tell everyone off for fueling a desire for information.

astrosapien said :

Otherwise all we are going to be left with is two sides pointing fingers without knowing the whole story.

Ahhh the joys of Canberra, that sums it all up for any situation in ACT.

Bumble01,

I’d respectfully like to remind you that in addition to your friends there were very young children involved in this crash. I’m sure that despite what the driver’s reasons are for what happened, it would be very difficult to expect people to “understand” that there was any justification for driving in the manner that they did.

Obviously all the details aren’t out in the open yet, so while I have respectfully been refraining from pointing fingers based on what I have heard, it would be appreciated if perhaps you refrained from justifying the drivers actions until the details are out in the open… Otherwise all we are going to be left with is two sides pointing fingers without knowing the whole story.

You’re definitely entitled to your opinion on the event, the same as anyone on this forum is, but noone on here knows 100% of what happened that night, and this should be kept in mind…

Bumble01 said :

ok i understand. trying to find a resolution to stop it happening again is great thing. no family should ever go through this. 15 is FAR too young to die. but saying that the driver should rot in prison, i believe is horribly wrong. most do not know the circumstances of the accident, and may have a different veiw if they did.

You’ve fallen in to the midst of open forums discussion I see. Welcome to the pack.
First you go saying about not making speculation and then saying the driver should rot in prison. My word of the day is definatly Hooley Dooley

ok i understand. trying to find a resolution to stop it happening again is great thing. no family should ever go through this. 15 is FAR too young to die. but saying that the driver should rot in prison, i believe is horribly wrong. most do not know the circumstances of the accident, and may have a different veiw if they did.

Bumble01,
Forums such as these can allow the community to discuss and attempt to find some sort of sense in a tragic situation such as this one. As it’s such a subjective and emotive subject for some people you can’t always expect a rational and sensitive response.

It’s a case of “reader beware”.

Please accept my condolences at the loss of your friend, and yes, may she rest in peace.

^ I totally agree.

Definition of a forum: A medium for open discussion or voicing of ideas, such as a newspaper, a radio or television program, or a website.

This not the place for eulogy, do it on your myspace.

I don’t think it is appropriate to send sympathy to family through a community forum – it should be done in person. But if someone does post who says they were friends or family then it is quite appropriate at the same time in respect.

i understand your need to have these forums, but as you have all stated, there is a lot of anger especially towards the driver. once the whole story comes out to the whole public, you may all understand a lot better. the family of both girls are devasteted, and so are the members of the family, that have not lost thier children, but were seriously hurt. i think the only things that need to be spoken about are, how these things can be prevented or sending sympathy to the family who have lost their beautiful daughter.

I think that everyone here does respect the privacy and feelings of the family and we all sympathise deeply (one example might be despite the fact that the girl’s name has been made public it hasn’t been discussed here at all).

There are greater issues at play and it is forums such as these where they are discussed. For the most part these comments do nothing to upset the memory of the poor girl – but instead raise awareness of the incident, a desire to understand the circumstances behind it and inspire an effort to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

I think we’re all adult enough (well, most of us) to discuss the issues behind this tragic incident without upsetting her memory. If there are some among us who are too close to the incident or those involved to do so without causing themselves grief, may I respectfully suggest you avoid community forums such as these?

johnboy said :

chooks said :

no matter how good or bad roads are and how people are educated in driving things like this will always happen whether we like it or not.

Maybe,

Sounds like there may have been preventable factors at work here though.

Which is why it would be good to have an authoritative version of events.

I agree JB, and no matter what anyone is saying there is always a solution you can come to that will help enhance the minimisation of the risks occuring again; you can’t just brush away what has happened and not use it as a way to build on what we require for this impact to never happen again.

ie – this wouldn’t have happened if cars were all installed with drug screening before ignition, or curfews on younger drivers, and restrictions to passangers after working hours for provisional drivers etc etc. You could brainstorm alot of ideas.

Hi Bumble01,

Whilst I respect and understand that you have lost someone that you care about, it’s not something that can be swept under the carpet because it is too difficult for some people to bear.

Positive and constructive discussions need to be held, not only in this forum, but in other areas as well, other wise none of the underlying issues will ever be resolved and you will have many more people feeling exactly the way you are feeling now.

It’s tough, but ignoring it is not the answer.

very well said bumble01. I totally agree.

to everyone here who does not know, the girl who died, or the details of what happened, i think you need to respect her privacy. it was a tragic accident that i am finding very difficult to deal with, as she was a great friend of mine. some of the comments on here are ridiculous and rude. its time to write about somethinf else, and let her R.I.P.
she will forever be in my heart. xxx

chooks said :

no matter how good or bad roads are and how people are educated in driving things like this will always happen whether we like it or not.

Maybe,

Sounds like there may have been preventable factors at work here though.

Which is why it would be good to have an authoritative version of events.

Yes, it is sad, also 30000+ children die of starvation and curable diseases everyday. Let’s not forget them too. That too is preventable.

no matter how good or bad roads are and how people are educated in driving things like this will always happen whether we like it or not.

But when we know what happened we can see if more can be done to prevent such occurences in future.

people need to move on and let the families come to terms with what has happend. There is alot of caring friends out there and there is too much speculation of what has happened. We cannot change what has happend!

ratatouille said :

Marlin74 said :

I can confirm that Skippy was not involved. My family left my house at 12:40am so the accident happened around 12:45 – 12:50am.

The three young girls were heading to another party in Conder, I believe drugs and alcohol were involved and cant believe that the poor girl in the back was not wearing a seatbelt. She would still be here today if she was buckled up. All were underage and had no right to be on any road. Friends shouldn’t let friends drive under the influence, end of story. We really need to hammer this point home.

It sends chills down my spine each time I drive past on my way home and to work each day.

R.I.P A.R

You need to check your sources. The person driving is 18 and fully licensed.

I don’t know if someone has brought this up yet, but at 18 you cannot be fully licensed.
You are able to gain your Provisional at 17 and hold on to that for 3 years which then you go on to Full license.

I believe this girl had alot of friends, and alot of caring friends as there are still school children visiting the crash site every day. Tradgic

Thanks J,
Hopefully see you soon.

Marlin74 said :

Astrosapien,

I agree with you. My appologies. This whole thing has me not thinking clearly. I am just so passionate about this incident and need some resolution. I so want all this to be over so we can all get back to normality. I certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone it just feels so raw.

Hey dude, it’s all good… I certainly wasn’t offended, and I feel extremely passionate about all of this too…

Unfortunately we just have sit tight and be patient and let everything run it’s course… I have a feeling that by the time all the details are out in the open there will be plenty more discussions on here, and hopefully in the broader community about things like this, but it’s all still reliant on details that haven’t come to the surface yet.

All in good time…

OzChick said :

I heard that this 15 year old girl is actually Clea Rose’s sister. If so that is terribly tragic for the family.

You heard wrong.

Still a tragedy, regardless.

^ Just read the obituaries, and it’s not…

I heard that this 15 year old girl is actually Clea Rose’s sister. If so that is terribly tragic for the family.

Astrosapien,

I agree with you. My appologies. This whole thing has me not thinking clearly. I am just so passionate about this incident and need some resolution. I so want all this to be over so we can all get back to normality. I certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone it just feels so raw.

vg said :

Madman said :

tom-tom said :

on a side note; mike crowther, as another CAP candidate; do you stand by sizers comments?

ohhhhh, I did promise to stay out of this but now I know this information I have to have one last word….

No vote for you either Mike, I don’t need the Gumberment pointing out the bleeding obvious to me…. “In political news today, the sky is blue when it’s not cloudy and grass is the colour green, unless you live in canberra’s water restrictions”

Quick tip Madman. Sizer is a candidate, not the ‘gumberment’

“Drugs and alcohol, ruins so many bloody peoples lives.”

They do, but what has it to do with this thread? Do you know more than the rest of us?

My source says the 18y/o’s tox screen came back positive, but for what I am not sure.

Well said Astrosapien

Hey Marlin74,

Considering we are related to the family in the crash and are hearing more as details are revealed, there are still plenty of details that AREN’T completely confirmed yet. Despite the extra stuff that we are hearing, it will remain speculation until such time as the police confirm everything 100%, whether it be via the media or some other method.

I’ve likely heard the same as yourself after visiting my sister last night, but at this point only the people directly responsible for the crash, and the police investigating the incident will be able to to speak with any authority on what actually happened.

So as well connected as we may be, there is still plenty that we don’t know, and everything will need to be kept in context considering this.

ratatouille said :

Marlin74 said :

I can confirm that Skippy was not involved. My family left my house at 12:40am so the accident happened around 12:45 – 12:50am.

The three young girls were heading to another party in Conder, I believe drugs and alcohol were involved and cant believe that the poor girl in the back was not wearing a seatbelt. She would still be here today if she was buckled up. All were underage and had no right to be on any road. Friends shouldn’t let friends drive under the influence, end of story. We really need to hammer this point home.

It sends chills down my spine each time I drive past on my way home and to work each day.

R.I.P A.R

You need to check your sources. The person driving is 18 and fully licensed.

Whilst I may have been slightly inaccurate about the driver’s age, 18 and fully licenced. No more I hope. Let’s hope she enjoys taking the bus the for the rest of her life. A licence is a privilege, not a right. I for one can’t wait until there are charges laid and we see the wrap up on the news and the so called specualtion can end and we can all move on.

By the way, is it only speculation because we haven’t heard the news in detail from a respected media outlet? There have been many posts on here by family and close friends who do know many of the facts.

astrosapien said :

“As I stated above, just because his overall message was one of taking steps to prevent this from happening again doesn’t mean that there weren’t issues with when and how he raised it. But again, when it comes to COMMUNITY issues we have to be able to stop bickering over the whens and how things were said and focus on taking positive community action to fix things.

In instances such as this that COULD mean things such as:

– Increased driver education
– Curfews for drivers
– etc
– etc
– etc

I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to pretend that I have all the answers. But it’s something that needs to be discussed in the community and by the community and that’s not going to happen if people are just going to discount someone’s contribution just because of their profession.

Politicians are our representatives… How about taking advantage of their position in our community and raising the issues that we have all learnt about through this tragic turn of events with the intent to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else in the future.

I agree. He could have come out and said that “as a policy for my party, we will be introducing driver ed, curfews, zero tolerance for drink driving, etc, etc”

and he would either have been

a) flamed
b) listened to
c) dismissed by the public.

if he had done this, though, it would have been constructive. Blame game is not what we need, we need positive steps to prevent this kind of thing happening in the future.

taking a cheap shot at the government doesn’t help any of us.

Unlike the the hopefuls preselected by the old parties, CAP candidates aren’t required to keep their mouths shut until someone tells them what they are allowed to say. Sometimes this will embarrass us, but it’s a damn sight healthier than cloning

He does have an extremely good point here.

Just look at Peter Garrett federally.

what, he is a clone?

Can you imagine what would happen to the more heated conversations here if people could go back and reverse their argument?

*SHUDDERS*

Jesus, good point!

Madman said :

tom-tom said :

on a side note; mike crowther, as another CAP candidate; do you stand by sizers comments?

ohhhhh, I did promise to stay out of this but now I know this information I have to have one last word….

No vote for you either Mike, I don’t need the Gumberment pointing out the bleeding obvious to me…. “In political news today, the sky is blue when it’s not cloudy and grass is the colour green, unless you live in canberra’s water restrictions”

Quick tip Madman. Sizer is a candidate, not the ‘gumberment’

“Drugs and alcohol, ruins so many bloody peoples lives.”

They do, but what has it to do with this thread? Do you know more than the rest of us?

Timberwolf651:56 am 13 Aug 08

Drugs and alcohol, ruins so many bloody peoples lives.

Mike Crowther1:14 am 13 Aug 08

I tossed up whether to respond here as I dont think its an appropriate thread to do it on, but as RiotACT is about right of reply I will. If anyone wants to bat on with it can I request they start a ‘I hate CAP/Sizer/Crowther etc’ thread seperatly from this one?

In answer to tom tom’s question, I think it was extremely insensitive of James Sizer to raise a road safety issue at the time and in the manner he did. I certainly wouldn’t have done so but he’s an adult and like anyone else who puts their name to their statements, has to wear the consequences of them. I do know that he lives near the accident spot, has kids of his own and has been railing about the road there long before he became political. Knowing him as I do, I am guessing anger got the better of him, but that’s his dilemma not mine.

Unlike the the hopefuls preselected by the old parties, CAP candidates aren’t required to keep their mouths shut until someone tells them what they are allowed to say. Sometimes this will embarrass us, but it’s a damn sight healthier than cloning.

PS: Good for you madman, you only get one vote every four years, I’m sure you’ll spend it ever so wisely after considering all the available facts.

tom-tom said :

on a side note; mike crowther, as another CAP candidate; do you stand by sizers comments?

ohhhhh, I did promise to stay out of this but now I know this information I have to have one last word….

No vote for you either Mike, I don’t need the Gumberment pointing out the bleeding obvious to me…. “In political news today, the sky is blue when it’s not cloudy and grass is the colour green, unless you live in canberra’s water restrictions”

johnboy said :

Can you imagine what would happen to the more heated conversations here if people could go back and reverse their argument?

*SHUDDERS*

HEHEHEHEHEHE

el said :

No sign of an edit function for comments, Admin/s?

There is an edit function, you can read what you typed before hitting the post button. Possibly even availing yourself of “Preview”.

Can you imagine what would happen to the more heated conversations here if people could go back and reverse their argument?

*SHUDDERS*

Bloody quote tags. First line is quote. Bottom lines are my response.

ratatouille said :

Marlin74 said :

You need to check your sources. The person driving is 18 and fully licensed.

Whilst they may have had the age wrong, I think Marlin74 was pointing out the fact that people under the influence have no right to be on the road – whether they’re fully licensed or not.

Cameron, lots of specualtion too.

Mia80 said :

There was a death involved, and if it proved that drugs were also a factor, she’ll get more than Community Service.

Not in this town, don’t you read the papers?

Peterh,Whatsup – thanks.
My son has been getting help and support – not just from family.
I hope that others affected by this tragedy are able to get support and help too.

this whole thing is tragic, no matter what the circumstances; 15yr olds shouldn’t die.

i agree with el and everone else whose slammed sizer; whatever the merits of his argument it was pathetic and vile of him to use a tragedy like this as an excuse to point score.

on a side note; mike crowther, as another CAP candidate; do you stand by sizers comments?

Damn my use of redundant words after not proof-reading.

No sign of an edit function for comments, Admin/s?

Sizer was using a tragedy to score political points, nothing more – Absolutely and utterly disgusting.

Marlin74 said :

I can confirm that Skippy was not involved. My family left my house at 12:40am so the accident happened around 12:45 – 12:50am.

The three young girls were heading to another party in Conder, I believe drugs and alcohol were involved and cant believe that the poor girl in the back was not wearing a seatbelt. She would still be here today if she was buckled up. All were underage and had no right to be on any road. Friends shouldn’t let friends drive under the influence, end of story. We really need to hammer this point home.

It sends chills down my spine each time I drive past on my way home and to work each day.

R.I.P A.R

You need to check your sources. The person driving is 18 and fully licensed.

slammedfalcon said :

hi does anyone know the name or surname of the girl driving the other car I have a bad feeling that it is a girl I know at college

She goes to LTC. That’s all I’ll say.

“I recognise that this is a very difficult time for you. Thanks for your perspective. My comments directed at the candidate were that he chose the media to take a cheap shot at the government. what, if any involvement did he have? the police report was concise, it was not his place to make a comment on the details. what i could not believe was that he was grandstanding an event that is terribly sad, and using it to further his own status in the community. If there are problems on canberra’s roads, perhaps he should release policy to sort them out.

if this was a tactic employed by other parties, we would have seen mr smyth making a similar statement. he did not.

I felt disgusted that he was speaking about an incident that he had no involvement with. either way, they were my feelings, and my opinion. I apologise to you if i caused offence, it was not my intention to do so.”

I feel the opposite… Just because Mr Sizer didn’t have family involved in the accident doesn’t mean that this isn’t something that affects him or his family. Crashes like this, and the circumstances that lead/cause these crashes are COMMUNITY issues.

Let’s face it. Driving under the influence is something that happens across our city, and indeed across the country all too frequently. And nowhere near enough is being done to combat it.

Sizer, and any other politician who cares to comment on this crash, or any other, is well within their rights to do so. The media is a public forum like any other. To say that he has no right to speak “about an incident that he had no involvement with” would be to say that anyone else on this forum thread who has no direct involvement with the crash also has no right to contribute to this COMMUNITY issue. It’s just that being a politician people’s default stance is to be critical of what he or she has to say. And I’m sure that to a degree it would be true to say that if Sizer had said nothing at all about the state of roads down there his electorate would be just as critical of his silence on the issue.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

As I stated above, just because his overall message was one of taking steps to prevent this from happening again doesn’t mean that there weren’t issues with when and how he raised it. But again, when it comes to COMMUNITY issues we have to be able to stop bickering over the whens and how things were said and focus on taking positive community action to fix things.

In instances such as this that COULD mean things such as:

– Increased driver education
– Curfews for drivers
– etc
– etc
– etc

I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to pretend that I have all the answers. But it’s something that needs to be discussed in the community and by the community and that’s not going to happen if people are just going to discount someone’s contribution just because of their profession.

Politicians are our representatives… How about taking advantage of their position in our community and raising the issues that we have all learnt about through this tragic turn of events with the intent to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else in the future.

I think it clear that some of the comments here are far from speculation, bigred.

I have heard more than I want to know about this tragedy and related events over the last few days. I really think people should just stop speculating.

Whatsup said :

My condolences and thoughts go to the friends and family of those affected by this incident.

MrGordon: I am speaking as someone who has also witnessed a fatality. Please ensure your son gets all the support and if possible professional assistance to help him manage what he has experienced. Don’t underestimate the impact this may have on him.

agreed.

forgot to mention the professional assistance as well.
but, then again, I really didn’t notice the assistance until I really needed it.
this is a devastating thing to have touched so many families.

i hope that you can find strength in others to help you through.

My condolences and thoughts go to the friends and family of those affected by this incident.

MrGordon: I am speaking as someone who has also witnessed a fatality. Please ensure your son gets all the support and if possible professional assistance to help him manage what he has experienced. Don’t underestimate the impact this may have on him.

MrGordon said :

This is my first post to this forum.
Saturday morning was a tragedy, one in which a young girl lost her life.

My thoughts are with the families and friends of all involved.
Like many, my family has been affected by this tragedy.
Why –
I’m the father of the boy who was the first on the scene.
My son rang the ambulance and assisted in getting people out of the vehicles.
He initially thought one of the young children was dead and he also knew the girl that died.

To all, appreciate what you have and look after each other.
(and please don’t ask me for details the accident)

Mr Gordon,
is your son receiving support from others – friends, etc? finding this type of accident can be very traumatic, particularly for the person who is first on the scene. judging from your post, he has his family to support him.

There was a death involved, and if it proved that drugs were also a factor, she’ll get more than Community Service.

This is my first post to this forum.
Saturday morning was a tragedy, one in which a young girl lost her life.

My thoughts are with the families and friends of all involved.
Like many, my family has been affected by this tragedy.
Why –
I’m the father of the boy who was the first on the scene.
My son rang the ambulance and assisted in getting people out of the vehicles.
He initially thought one of the young children was dead and he also knew the girl that died.

To all, appreciate what you have and look after each other.
(and please don’t ask me for details the accident)

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy3:53 pm 12 Aug 08

…feel the full force of our justice system…

What – do a few hours of community service and lose their license for 3 months?

Beserk Keyboard Warrior3:22 pm 12 Aug 08

Maybe I was a bit harsh. I apologise.

Oh my… the harsh words being thrown around.

Although this is a forum for opinion etc, some people need to realise that close friends and family will KNOW the facts (especially as to the cause) as the police will report this information to them directly and regularly.
Keeping this tragic information from young people will only serve to further substances abuse and further “accidents” (for lack of a better term).
Why should this be kept quiet for the sake of a few raw feelings, and more lives lost because of the sensitivity of the issue. Harden up kiddies! This is life.

On the other side of the coin, it is a fact of life that many young people try drugs and alcohol. I’d like to see how many postees have not risked their own lives at one time in a similar manner (as I’m sure the not’s would be the lesser number).
The point is the recklessness of which the “accident” occurred, and could easily have been prevented. (Sizer’s comments not withstanding).

I still feel for the 18y/o driver, regardless of other factors, and understand the young family not being so forgiving at this time.
But in the end, is that if found guilty, the young driver will not only feel the full force of our justice system, but she will be forced to live with the knowledge that she almost killed a young family and DID kill her friend, due to her own recklessness. Would you wish that on anybody?

Or maybe I’m just lucky not to be so blinded by friendship to see both sides of this tragic story.

This is a tragedy, and needs to be respected as such.

Mike Crowther2:15 pm 12 Aug 08

Your wrong Beserk. I didn’t buy into this thread for warm fuzzys (Only a masochist would post on RiotACT looking for them). I chipped in because I could see the thread developing into a nasty-minded blame game based on nothing more than rumour and idle speculation.
Those hurting over this event are real people who are shattered, not theoretical cyber entities.

Try playing the ball, instead of the man sometime.

Beserk Keyboard Warrior2:03 pm 12 Aug 08

I’m pretty sure forums such as this ARE for opinions and speculation. So if you’re not here to give yours then I can only assume you’re here for something else… an opportunity to jump on your high-horse perhaps? Enjoy the warm, fuzzy feeling of moral superiority it no doubt gives you.

Depends how you look at it.
I see it as their personal oppinion. I have my own and dont use others opinions for mine.

I’m not going to go into further discussion with this thread because some people need to come back to earth with a reality check.

This is just ridiculous.

Mike Crowther1:37 pm 12 Aug 08

Okay madman,

1) annonomous accusations are not discussions.

2. Sorry for pointing out the bleeding obvious. Mea maxima culpa.

3. Nobody has accused you of being the coroner.

4. Discussion is good. but, this brings me to your comment that you have seen no slander

loath as I am to reprint it, sparkles comment was “…to the 18 year old that was in the car with that poor kid, who was taking drugs and driving and who nearly killed 4 people, 2 of which who are still babies, who are so special to so many people, i hope you rot in prison…..”

That madman is by any definition slanderous, apportions blame and increases peoples despair.

Woody Mann-Caruso1:34 pm 12 Aug 08

[Sizer]seems to want to improve things down there

Accusing the government of having ‘blood on its hands’ before the police have completed their inquiries was gutter politics.

Mike Crowther1:27 pm 12 Aug 08

vg, your quite right, I chose my words poorly. I meant that it is the coroner who is charged with the ultimate responsibility for overseeing investigations into all deaths occurring in certain circumstances. Unless there is something really out of left field they will in all likelihood accept the findings of police crash investigation unit.

Mike Crowther said :

People, please take a deep breath.

1. Families are in mourning and in pain over this.

2. There will be a properly conducted, professional Coronial inquest which will apportion blame (if any)and suggest ways to reduce the likelihood of repetition.

3. Speculation about drugs, seatbelt neglect, speed etc on this blog does nothing to assist anyone other than to anonymously slander both the survivors and the dead, and increase the distress for all the families concerned.

Mike – I don’t get your point here…

1. This is a forum were discussions are made
2. We’re not all retards and know the family is in mourning – thanks for pointing this out, our condolences have been given to the families in most posts
3. We are not the coroners, this is not the coronery thread and we are not making any reports or investigations to this collision and certainly not making recomendations to the courts.
4. It’s all about discussions and if you don’t want to be apart of it then you not need contribute, there is no force to have to type and submit.

I haven’t seen any slander here, everything has been a post from someones oppinion, just what forums are about!

….and yes the Police will report their findings to the coroner, as they do with any other death, but a coroners inquest will generally arise when the cause of death needs to be investigated. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt what caused the death here, and I’m not trying to be insensitive saying this.

This all all personal, not professional, commentary as well (there is good reason why I add that caveat but won’t go into it)

Mike

There will be no coroners inquest. There will be a Police investigation of the accident and the possibility of charges arising from that. On its face, based on the public reporting thus far, there is nothing that would justify it extending beyond a Police investigation by the Crash Investigations Team.

I am sure the reasons for the accident will play out in the public arena in the fullness of time. Any other comments regarding the cause are simply guess work or speculation. That helps no one

astrosapien said :

Hi all,

I’m a first time poster on this forum, and one of the brothers of the mother of 2 caught up in this crash. I want to make part of this first statement clear in that it was a crash, not an accident. If what some of the rumors (and that’s all they are at this point) are true, and there was drugs and/or alcohol involved, then it no longer becomes an accident and is purely an act of senseless, irresponsible idiocy on the part of people who thought that it would be a good idea to drive while under the influence. If it were just a kangaroo or something like that, then sure, it was an accident, but at this stage it’s not looking as cut and dry as that. Hopefully the police investigation will turn up more evidence and we will be able to get a clearer understanding of what actually transpired that morning.

Secondly, I’d like to through my two cents in about the politician that everyone is slamming on here. Mr Sizer may very well have chosen poor circumstances for raising the issue of the state of the roads in that part of town, but I don’t think he deserves the feeling of anger that are being directed at him. After all, he seems to want to improve things down there with the intent of making sure that other families don’t have to go through what I am going through with my family, or indeed the family that lost a daughter is no doubt going through now. I think that the sort of anger that people clearly want to direct at somebody should be directed at whoever appears to have been at fault, again providing that it wasn’t just an accident. If it turns out that the young driver had been driving under the influence, direct the anger there for starters, and then approach your local representatives about what sort of measures are going to be taken to address the serious attitudes that so many Australians seem to have about drugs, alcohol, and the casual nature in which so many people seem to think it’s ok to drive while under the influence of these substances. All of this energy would be better spent being directed at fixing the problem rather than attacking people who are trying to fix the problem. Again, I’m not defending the poor circumstances under which the issue was raised, but so often it seems that the worst has to happen for some people to get the picture. And this is what has happened.

Considering that there would obviously still be an investigation going on it would not be fair for me to say much more really. I have my feelings of anger towards the young driver, but at the moment they are unfounded until such time as the details are brought to light for everyone to comment on. And I will not speculate on the details. But when those details DO come out, I will be sure to have a bit more to say on the matter then.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you round the forum.

Hi astrosapien,

I recognise that this is a very difficult time for you. Thanks for your perspective. My comments directed at the candidate were that he chose the media to take a cheap shot at the government. what, if any involvement did he have? the police report was concise, it was not his place to make a comment on the details. what i could not believe was that he was grandstanding an event that is terribly sad, and using it to further his own status in the community. If there are problems on canberra’s roads, perhaps he should release policy to sort them out.

if this was a tactic employed by other parties, we would have seen mr smyth making a similar statement. he did not.

I felt disgusted that he was speaking about an incident that he had no involvement with. either way, they were my feelings, and my opinion. I apologise to you if i caused offence, it was not my intention to do so.

Mike Crowther1:05 pm 12 Aug 08

People, please take a deep breath.

1. Families are in mourning and in pain over this.

2. There will be a properly conducted, professional Coronial inquest which will apportion blame (if any)and suggest ways to reduce the likelihood of repetition.

3. Speculation about drugs, seatbelt neglect, speed etc on this blog does nothing to assist anyone other than to anonymously slander both the survivors and the dead, and increase the distress for all the families concerned.

Thanks for that astrosapien, you sound like a very good bloke – I’m glad that there are supporting family on the side as well =-)

Can’t wait to comment with you on a later date about the details arise and hopefully in other threads.

All the best mate.

Hi all,

I’m a first time poster on this forum, and one of the brothers of the mother of 2 caught up in this crash. I want to make part of this first statement clear in that it was a crash, not an accident. If what some of the rumors (and that’s all they are at this point) are true, and there was drugs and/or alcohol involved, then it no longer becomes an accident and is purely an act of senseless, irresponsible idiocy on the part of people who thought that it would be a good idea to drive while under the influence. If it were just a kangaroo or something like that, then sure, it was an accident, but at this stage it’s not looking as cut and dry as that. Hopefully the police investigation will turn up more evidence and we will be able to get a clearer understanding of what actually transpired that morning.

Secondly, I’d like to through my two cents in about the politician that everyone is slamming on here. Mr Sizer may very well have chosen poor circumstances for raising the issue of the state of the roads in that part of town, but I don’t think he deserves the feeling of anger that are being directed at him. After all, he seems to want to improve things down there with the intent of making sure that other families don’t have to go through what I am going through with my family, or indeed the family that lost a daughter is no doubt going through now. I think that the sort of anger that people clearly want to direct at somebody should be directed at whoever appears to have been at fault, again providing that it wasn’t just an accident. If it turns out that the young driver had been driving under the influence, direct the anger there for starters, and then approach your local representatives about what sort of measures are going to be taken to address the serious attitudes that so many Australians seem to have about drugs, alcohol, and the casual nature in which so many people seem to think it’s ok to drive while under the influence of these substances. All of this energy would be better spent being directed at fixing the problem rather than attacking people who are trying to fix the problem. Again, I’m not defending the poor circumstances under which the issue was raised, but so often it seems that the worst has to happen for some people to get the picture. And this is what has happened.

Considering that there would obviously still be an investigation going on it would not be fair for me to say much more really. I have my feelings of anger towards the young driver, but at the moment they are unfounded until such time as the details are brought to light for everyone to comment on. And I will not speculate on the details. But when those details DO come out, I will be sure to have a bit more to say on the matter then.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you round the forum.

first of all i would like to express my deepest condolences for the family of the young girl who died, i feel for you.

second, i would like to point out that this could have been avoided, my best friend was the driver of the other car and i know friends of the girl who died.

it seems to me that none of these kids, and kids is what they are, are taking this seriously, none of them intend on stopping from using drugs abd drinking and i think it is sad that this girls death has been takin so lightly on these teenagers behalf.

to the 18 year old that was in the car with that poor kid, who was taking drugs and driving and who nearly killed 4 people, 2 of which who are still babies, who are so special to so many people, i hope you rot in prison…..

thanks

Not to mention drug and alcohol education.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:08 am 12 Aug 08

So we have a situation where at around midnight on a poorly lit road with known roo population some girls who may well have been drunk and/or drugged had a car accident, and the girl who died wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

This is very sad for the families involved. But to expect a dual carriage road to compensate for the risks in this scenario is a bit unreasonable.

Perhaps we are still a bit light on with driver education of this is what really happened.

I can confirm that Skippy was not involved. My family left my house at 12:40am so the accident happened around 12:45 – 12:50am.

The three young girls were heading to another party in Conder, I believe drugs and alcohol were involved and cant believe that the poor girl in the back was not wearing a seatbelt. She would still be here today if she was buckled up. All were underage and had no right to be on any road. Friends shouldn’t let friends drive under the influence, end of story. We really need to hammer this point home.

It sends chills down my spine each time I drive past on my way home and to work each day.

R.I.P A.R

grunge_hippy said :

If the girl was not wearing a seatbelt, it makes no difference.

Indeed.

grunge_hippy10:03 pm 11 Aug 08

i must have missed this crash by mere minutes, as we travelled on that road at around midnight… so very sad.

That road is dangerous, the roos alone are bad enough, not too mention the piss poor roundabout at conder that does not allow for passing. whether it was dual carriage way or not is irrelevant. If the girl was not wearing a seatbelt, it makes no difference.

still a very sad event, no matter how you look at it… but yes, scoring political points of someones tragedy is just plain wrong.

Woody Mann-Caruso8:04 pm 11 Aug 08

Saw this Sizer guy at the shops on the weekend. This pretty much earns him bottom of the list – well, that and his “I’ll magically deliver improved services but collect less money” spiel.

I also heard a rumour that a roo was involved, which doesn’t surprise me with that bit of road. It always has roo’s on it and is very unlit.

My sympothy’s to Marlin and sFalcon and to everyone else effected.
This has really shown what good family and friends this young girl had, as the site were the accident happened is flooded with flowers and from what I can tell poetry. There were 8 cars parked on the side of the road today at 4:30pm.

All the best

I was reading the girls Bebo and I read somewhere that underage drinking was one of the factors. Sad indeed.

Pretty much every head-on collision that ever happened anywhere could have probably been avoided by the government duplicating the road.

This Sizer bloke should go back to doing what he does best – which I assume involves a small cubicle and a tape measure…..

i agree with peterh.

one of my mates from school died on the monaro highway last year, and this is just bringing back the memories of everything that happened last year…

slammedfalcon said :

Why are you guys talking about this bloke. Who cares about him. One of my freinds has been seriosly injured in this crash as well as three others and one person died and all you can talk about is some politic. So don’t bother saying anything if you haven’t been effected by this accident.

Slammedfalcon,

some of us have lost friends over the years through accidents on canberra’s roads. what I was angry about is that this particular candidate decided to profit from the accident. He should publicly apologise for his comments. It is not acceptable for him to make this accident a part of his political campaign.

I am saddened by the accident, in fact, it has brought back memories of friends that i have lost, and i would have loved to have them meet my kids now, but I reacted strongly about this person’s decision to make his comments as i felt that it was shifting the focus from this tragic event.

i hope that you have access to friends and family to help you with this terrible time.

This was a miserably sad event. I cannot imagine how the family are dealing with it. The thoughts and prayers of all should be with them, as they go through this terrible time.

For anyone (government, opposition, CAP) to try to capitalise on it for political purposes is disgusting. Could the CAP please ditch this candidate? He shows poor judgment and less compassion.

Actually I think people do care when people are killed or injured on our roads. This seems to be especially true when the deceased or injured are either very young or very old. Canberra is, after all, a fairly small community in some respects.

This accident is a tragedy for all involved and they have my deepest sympathy.

Marlin74 and slammedfalcon – I hope your family/friends get through this without suffering any long term effects.

And for the record I think aspiring politicians need to find ways to can raise issues of concern without blaming incumbents for tragic road accidents. Poor form Mr Sizer – no vote for you.

I for one think that candidate (whoever he is) has a valid point. The fact that he chose to make it under such circumstances might show poor judgement, but that doesn’t invalidate the point now, does it?

The reality is the odds of a head on collision on that road would have been significantly reduced if it were a dual carriageway.

That, however, doesn’t put the government at fault any more than it puts STR at fault (though I certainly blame them for the road not being duplicated).

The fault, I would presume, would lie with one of the drivers. That said, any car accident is tragic – particularly where there is a loss of life (and one so young) – irrespective of where the ‘blame’ lies.

We’re talking about it because a local political candidate has attempted to score cheap political points by using this accident as an example of unkept promises.

slammedfalcon said :

PeterH NO ONE CARES DO YOU GET IT

I know emotions are running high but I’m going to need you to understand that this is a place for discussion.

I’d hate to have to start moderating you.

slammedfalcon4:21 pm 11 Aug 08

PeterH NO ONE CARES DO YOU GET IT

I should add that I have absolutely no idea who he.

thumper,

if he wanted to raise his profile, there are far more subtle ways to do it.

useful as a hatful of *rseholes…

slammedfalcon4:17 pm 11 Aug 08

Why are you guys talking about this bloke. Who cares about him. One of my freinds has been seriosly injured in this crash as well as three others and one person died and all you can talk about is some politic. So don’t bother saying anything if you haven’t been effected by this accident.

May as well blame the “Save The Ridge” people. Its my understanding that funds to upgrade the road were diverted to fight their court action in regard to GDE.

Very sad.

Peter H,

I absolutely agree, this Sizer guy is a real piece of work. It makes my family sick that an incident like this has happened. Could have happened on any road in the ACT. I am telling you one thing for sure, the road was not to blame for this “accident”.

Our little one involved in the crash is in severe pain since this happened. try and slap a sling on a 13 month old baby and ask them to remain still while their bones tries to heal. Not going to happen! P#*S Off Mr Sizer, your political views are not welcome here. The situation makes me more furious the more I think about it.

posting again, but i am very angry about this – if you are a political candidate, and read this forum, if you sink to the level of this other candidate, I WILL MENTION TO EVERYONE I KNOW OF YOUR POINT SCORING, AND NOT TO VOTE FOR YOU!

why don’t they just campaign to get the problems fixed, not just say “I told you so”??

That could have been my children. if you get a smack in the mouth from a member of public, mr sizer, don’t look so surprised…

Contrast said :

ant said :

It was a head-on smash, apparently. I wonder how it happened? For a schoolkid to die like this always hits their friends hard. I always felt sad when I saw that St Eddies tie looped around that cross on Hindmarsh hill, although I expect the tie is gone now (haven’t been that way in years). It was a very poignant memorial.

After reading the article on the ABC website this morning I went to visit a friend to give her a belated birthday gift. I found her beyond depressed, as she and her partner knew the girl. I didn’t ask any questions because she was near inconsolable as it was. The whole thing is just horrible. 🙁

el said :

James Sizer can go to hell for trying to use this tragedy to score political points AFAIC.

Hear, hear! As if the situation weren’t bad enough! The pr*ck!

why doesn’t mr sizer try and win votes the proper way, rather than go after the govt when someone has been killed. sickens me. all the “political points” won’t bring this child back.

he is no better than an ambulance chaser!

Danman, That is very possible, working with my B.I.L, I agree it was a tragedy that could have easily been avoided. It was such as shock for us to hear about it as they had literally just left our house. I am amazed that we still have our nephews and more people in both cars didn’t lose their lives.

To be honest the details of it is what disgusts me the most, it makes me very angry.

Marlin74, I believe my wife works with your brother.

My condolences go out to you and your extended family.

I have heard details of which I will not discuss here – A tragedy for all involved.

It was my Brother & Sister in-law together with my two baby nephews 2.5 years and 13 months old returning home from my place from a family birthday party. My sister in-law is still in hospital after having surgery on Saturday.

I need to be careful of how much I say as I believe there is still a police investigation going on. What I do know is that allegedly the poor girl who passed away was in the backseat and not wearing a seatbelt and the driver of that car seemed to loose control and drifted into oncoming traffic.

My sister in law has a broken femur and the youngest has a broken collarbone, concussion for the eldest and my brother in law is banged up and bruised.

My sincere condolences to the family of the 15 year old girl. I hope the police reveal the cause of the accident soon so everyone knows what happened.

Alcohol, speed, fatigue? All of the above?

slammedfalcon2:54 pm 11 Aug 08

no need to worry miz i found out who it was (it was the girl i was hopping it wasn’t) I have found out what happend that night and i’m very disapointed in the driver but i also feel very sorry for her

Does anyone know exactly what happened?

My love to the young family and young driver too.
My condolences to the friends and family of the young girl.

Contrast: the cross on Hindmarsh is still there, adourned with Eddies school tie & all (11 years now I believe).

On the rare occasion I am forced to venture my beloved Prius into Southern Tuggeranong, I’m always amazed how suddenly everyone is driving their Commodore at 30+ kms over the limit and screeching tyres around every roundablout. Its a scary place.

slammedfalcon I don’t think names can be published (privacy and all that) but if you contact JB at riotact by email, I give permission for my email address to be given out and we can arrange a phone call (as far as possible! I have laringitis!)

ant said :

It was a head-on smash, apparently. I wonder how it happened? For a schoolkid to die like this always hits their friends hard. I always felt sad when I saw that St Eddies tie looped around that cross on Hindmarsh hill, although I expect the tie is gone now (haven’t been that way in years). It was a very poignant memorial.

After reading the article on the ABC website this morning I went to visit a friend to give her a belated birthday gift. I found her beyond depressed, as she and her partner knew the girl. I didn’t ask any questions because she was near inconsolable as it was. The whole thing is just horrible. 🙁

el said :

James Sizer can go to hell for trying to use this tragedy to score political points AFAIC.

Hear, hear! As if the situation weren’t bad enough! The pr*ck!

James Sizer can go to hell for trying to use this tragedy to score political points AFAIC.

slammedfalcon11:01 pm 10 Aug 08

hi does anyone know the name or surname of the girl driving the other car I have a bad feeling that it is a girl I know at college

It was a head-on smash, apparently. I wonder how it happened? For a schoolkid to die like this always hits their friends hard. I always felt sad when I saw that St Eddies tie looped around that cross on Hindmarsh hill, although I expect the tie is gone now (haven’t been that way in years). It was a very poignant memorial.

Half way between the Tharwa/Drakeford Dr roundabout and the Tharwa/Mentone View roundabout in Conder.

I just drove that street then to get home from a weekend away and saw people walking with stuff in their hands. Did it happen just after the Calwell Roundabout at the underpass?

Timberwolf656:53 pm 10 Aug 08

Was it a freak accident?

I drove past there today when I was heading to Lanyon shopping center. There was a group of teenage girls walking up to where it happened, they all had bunches of flowers, I tell you what, it brought tears to my eyes:(

Caroline Chisholm High.

Without going into the personal details of this victim too much… does anyone know what school she attended?

She was a lovely girl – so sad. My condolences to the family.

Timberwolf658:25 am 10 Aug 08

This is so sad, may she rest in peace:(

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